To Guide A Lost Boy
by EmetMehmet
Summary: They say that those who look the happiest tend to hide the truth behind their smiles. In the midst of misery and suffering, who would guide a poor soul back to the straight path? A story of a boy who seeks what he so yearns for; Love. AU! Smart!Naruto Confident!Hinata Eventual Naruhina
1. Chapter 1 - A Conversation

Hate.

Hate, a burning emotion that he could never avoid as he walked along the streets. Every stare, every look, every glare was either filled with mild dislike or deep hatred.

Anger.

Anger, a raging emotion running through the veins of each person he tried to talk to. Whether they be children his age or the elderly in their peak years, the scorns and insults were always fresh in his mind; they always hurt too much.

Then again, the two were not as bad as they may seem. The boy would- no, he needed to get through all of this if he wanted to achieve his ultimate goal. No amount of hate or rage could push him away from the path taken.

Then again, there was something far worse.

Neglect.

The feeling of abandonment, the lack of care and attention from anyone. Not even a look of sympathy from a passerby when he was beaten up by children and young teenagers who wanted no more than to cause him misery. Sure the masked men appeared and stopped them from causing further harm to him, but it was their job, no?

One would expect that the people who turned up from the shadows to save you from getting hospitalized actually cared about you, right?

But from the way they acted, the silence of their voice and the emotionless expressions on and behind their animal masks, he just knew.

 _They don't care…_

At first, he never understood the real reason why. Why was he treated this way by the villagers of Konohagakure? Was it something he did? The pranks he pulled off on the villagers were often harmless and he never did mean to hurt anyone. Sure he understood their anger and frustration at getting pranked by him but then even before his pranking days started, he just knew.

 _They hate me…_

In appearance the boy would walk on the streets of the village with a smile on his face as bright as the sun, his blue eyes sparkling in midday. The boy would often wear a white ragged T-shirt with a red 'Whirlpool' symbol in it's centre and green coloured shorts that stretched right below the knees. A pair of green coloured goggles adorned his forehead like a hairband ensuring that no strand of hair were to touch his forehead- yet some managing to escape anyways.

Altogether, the style of the boy shaped an image of a playful and happy-go-lucky adventurer who was mischievous within his own right.

Can no one see through his mask? A visage and persona created in order to protect his own feelings and most importantly, his sanity?

Who would have thought that the boy with the brightest smile experienced painful abuse and terrible treatment from the inhabitants of the Great Ninja Village of the Land of Fire?

Did they know that the little boy they threw out of their shops, the little boy they belittle and bullied was just a child? A sweet child who wants nothing more than to be seen.

A child who wants nothing more than to be loved?

Love, what was love to the boy?

A question that deserves an answer but hardly gets any.

And at the most silent of times in the darkest of nights as the inhabitants of Konohagakure were invited to the realm of dreams, the boy stayed awake sitting down on his bed in solemn contemplation.

 _I just want to hate everyone… But I can't ..._

 _Why?_

 _Why is it me who's suffering?_

Tears fell from his eyes like hush streams, flowing down his cheeks and onto his clothes. It was now he could finally put down the mask he so often wore when the sun was in the horizon gracing the land he called home.

Yet, he just knew.

So thus, a memory played again in his head. A story that he would never forget.

In order for his home to prosper and be protected.

He must suffer a great torment…

 _Thus, so be it._

...

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. Piles of files were stacked up on his desk creating mountains of paperwork that in a hyperbolic sense, stretched as far and high as the eye can see.

To the untrained eye and spirit of course.

Paperwork has always been a part of Hiruzen''s daily life ever since he took the reigns of leadership with the Sandaime title. Indeed his prowess in battles and skills in warfare brought him immense honor and glory to himself and his family which granted him the position in the first place. He was also regarded by the masses as a "God of Shinobi", a deity amongst mortals.

But he knew better.

He was no god.

Especially if paperwork was involved.

Sarutobi may be a powerful ninja but that does not mean he was immune to his flaws - apparently the elder was rather lacking in office organization skills.

Said piles of mission reports and meeting minutes were spread out everywhere - some scattered on the floor, some beneath the desk and some even made its way behind the throne-like chair. A comical sight it may be but one knew better than to touch any of those documents or files.

Unless you're his personal assistant of course.

Legend has it that there was once an ANBU member who was unfortunate enough to have one flying to his face.

He never woke up again.

Rumours aside, skimming through the Hokage's documents without any official permission from the Hokage himself may be subjected to espionage, thus if one were to be caught in the act, there was no denying that one could be charged with treason. In order to avoid such incidents from occurring, an ingenious method was implemented by the Nidaime Hokage- a method which involved combining a simple genjutsu with an even more simple fuinjutsu.

The result was an inability to see through the papers from a far distance even if one possessed the Sharingan or Byakugan - unless of course they are masters of that particular set of Dojutsu- except when in contact with said papers.

As a second layer of protection, the fuinjutsu layer also included a particular illusion where if anyone aside from the Hokage or ones given prior permission to see through the documents, said person would be placed under a genjutsu that traps the culprit in an endless extending hallway similar to the one in the Hokage's Tower. Although the genjutsu may be said to be simple, the effect depends on the mastery of the user hence it is rather overwhelming even to even a Jonin level ninja to overcome.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi was no slacker when it came to power.

Yet behind the professional demeanor lies but a man who wished he had not rushed to the office before getting his morning coffee at home.

A sad smile appeared on Hiruzen's face as he recalled a memory from the past.

 _"... but I'm fine dear and I'm rather late now," said Hiruzen as he scratched the back of his head with a cheeky smile on his face, "you don't need to -"_

 _"Don't need to what?" a scolding voice said that could even make a grown man wince. "I've been married with you for 34 years Sarutobi and I know that once you reach your office and do 'work' you'll forget to eat!"_

" _But the trade delegation from Suna-_ "

 _"The trade delegation can wait. Even the Shinigami for all I care! You know why you keep getting those gastric pains? It's because you make it an effort to skip meals especially breakfast!"_

 _"Aika dear," Sarutobi said, his voice calm while his hands raised in a manner to convince "I promise I'll have breakfast at the office. Hitomi can -"_

 _"So you'd rather be fed by that young secretary of yours than from your own wife?" Aika Sarutobi said in an accusing tone as she turned to the other direction from her husband, arms crossed with a frown on her face._

 _Hiruzen stayed silent. Even at old age his wife pouts the same as she did when they first started going out with one another. Sure it was annoying to some if not many to be emotionally manipulated around like that._

 _But Sarutobi knew the woman he spent three quarters of his life with. And even with her flaws he never felt so complete_.

 _He loves her._

A single had escaped his right eye, the smile still present as he chuckled a light chuckle. Often in solace he would break into this state of remembrance, nostalgic remains playing scenes in his mind. The yearning would come and go as it pleases but learning to let go was different for everyone.

For him it was always difficult.

Hiruzen took out a red coloured pipe from one of the drawers and placed it on his desk.

He reached his hand towards an egg like marble box decorated with emeralds on the far right side of his desk and placed it next to the pipe. Taking out crushed tobacco leaves from box he rolled it carefully into a fine ball and inserted the leaves into the pipe.

With a swift hand motion, a matchstick in his right hand against the rough surface of the match box a small fire lit. Such an over exaggerated and theatrical display was common for Hiruzen. He was always a fan of theater and had even considered to become an actor in his younger years.

That was before the First Great Shinobi War of course.

So to compensate for lost dreams and passions, the man would often attend the local theater and was the anonymous local patron for arts in the village -funding usually came from an 'unknown' source. He had written a play once regarding the war a few years back that managed to run for a year or two in the Land of Water. Currently, he was writing a novel about a retired ANBU squad leader that underwent tragic events under horrifying circumstances. The protagonist hence took the decision to abandon his village and hid in the Land of Frost quietly. However such peace was only short-lived as a global conspiracy brought him back to service. The assassination of the Raikage and mass genocide of northern shinobi clans was triggering a civil war in the region. A mysterious girl half his age had accidentally appeared in his life as current events pointed to her and a failed mission a few years ago. Will she be the light guiding him out from his past sins or will she destroy him and the nations around him?

This was all under a pen name of course.

A Kage writing about war and treason for entertainment as well as being a hopeless romantic was in itself a scandal towards his reputation. Few people know of his secrets, one of them being his own Secretary while the other, Jiraiya his legendary student.

 _"And dear Aika," he thought sadly, puffing the pipe and inhaling the relaxing yet smoky smell of burning tobacco "after all she was the one who encouraged me when she found out about my writing habits.."_

It was Jiraiya after all that helped publish his works for him.

Who else inspired Jiraiya to take writing seriously? The Icha Icha series were currently one of his favourites.

Not that anyone else should know that he had a copy of the series in one of his vaults at home.

 _"And if she actually did find out I read those books…" Hiruzen shuddered at the thought, thankful to never have been exposed_.

At that very moment a polite knock was heard from the door accompanied by a request to come in. The voice sounded soft and high-pitched, usually associated with a girl who had flourished into womanhood.

"Enter," said Hiruzen calmly.

Thus a young woman opened the door. In her arms were some scrolls and files thick as books. She seemed to be struggling as she hugged the documents tightly to her chest. She looked to be around the age of seventeen or eighteen, grey-coloured were her eyes. Her hair was a light chestnut brown and grew down to shoulder length. She was lean and petite yet in her posture she carried the poise of nobility.

As she was about to take a step into the room, one of the scrolls she was carrying dropped on the floor. This led to a domino like effect as more documents began to fall which led to all of them falling at the same time.

"AAAH!" shouted the girl as she clasped her mouth immediately with both her hands. "My deepest apologies Hokage-sama" the girl said in a softer and more polite tone very different from her previous outburst. She then bowed respectfully to Hiruzen and proceeded to pick up the documents on the floor.

A light chuckle escaped Hiruzen's lips as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him.

Hitomi Himura was in a sense a rather odd girl. Born from the line of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, she was considered a noblewoman. Her father, Asahi Himura was the younger brother of the current Fire Lord and acted as his regent and handler to the affairs between the shinobi village and the royal palace.

Yet here she was. A Chunin level ninja working as assistant and secretary to the Hokage.

A question would often arise in the minds of those who had the knowledge of her ancestry; why become a kunoichi if one possessed the blood of royalty?

Being born the eldest of the two in her family - she had a younger brother who was eight years younger than her- life was never difficult for the dear girl. Her father was also the would be successor to the feudal seat as her uncle the current Daimyo had no children which made her in turn second to the succession.

However the laws pertaining lordship inheritance of the Land of Fire differed greatly to other neighbouring nations as it favours patriarchy instead of primogeniture. If there was to be no male heir to the current Daimyo the woman shall take his place. Hence by right, her younger brother shall inherit from her father when the time comes.

A memory resurfaced in his thoughts.

 _"Lady Hitomi-sama," Hiruzen said in a respectful tone. "Are you sure about your decision? Once you enter the academy and graduate as a Genin you shall be bounded by shinobi laws and way of life. In a most humble way for me to state, I shall soon outrank you and I am no longer subjected to treating you like others of your royal house."_ _Hiruzen expected the little girl sitting in front of him, whose hair was braided in a very intricate way while wearing beautiful sky blue silk robes to be intimidated by his statement. Nobles were often treated extremely well with high respect by the branches of proper society compared to an average citizen. Having the power to rule over a nation as powerful as the Land of Fire was a dream many sought to have but can never possess._ _Yet even with Hiruzen's subtle threats about the loss of power and influence from her part the girl's smile had not fade from her face. Her face carried the innocence of a child but one look in her grey eyes amused Sarutobi- it was like looking in the eyes of a determined shinobi before entering a battlefield._

 _Accompanying the young mistress and her father the Lord's Successor Asahi Himura around the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen noticed a number of peculiarities with the girl in question. When brought to the traders quarter of the village, the girl kept pestering her father about buying kunais and shurikens instead of clothes and jewellery moreover the girl was more interested in a trip to the shinobi training grounds than a visit to the Shodai Hokage's Spring Garden which was known for its beautiful flowers and cherry blossom trees._ _It was of course not unheard of for a woman to take the vows and rights of a kunoichi as four out of every ten ninja that had graduated from the academy are women. Tsunade his honorable student was the prime example of what women are capable of doing if given open and unrestricted opportunities._ _However for a woman of high birth- directly from the line of the Daimyo himself! - to have the interest of being a kunoichi was rare if not extremely uncommon. The work of a ninja was considered to be a servant's job by the nobility such that to go as low as to become one could heavily affect one's place in upper society._ _And after another visit or two during these past few months, here it was, that same girl requesting an audience with him in his office in order that he allow her to enter the academy._ _"A new idea for a new book perhaps…" thought the Kage with amusement._

 _"Hokage-sama," answered the girl politely, her posture proper which was expected from her house. "I believe that I can be a worthwhile asset to your village and to the nation if given the opportunity. With my father's blessings he has allowed me to pursue my path without the consequence of losing my birthright."_

 _"I assure you Hokage-sama that with the approval of the royal house at your side by allowing me to achieve my ambitions, this will allow you to solidify your political position without deterrence."_ _To say Hiruzen was surprised was an understatement- the man was completely shocked by the child's answer. Here it was, a girl who had not even reached the early stages of adolescence with an effective rebuttal. Even for a nobleman's daughter, the eloquence in her speech was beyond that of anyone her age group -heck even better than one of his own council members. A political animal in the making._ _"Curious curious…" thought Hiruzen with wonder._ _Currently indeed, amongst the council Hiruzen was facing silent but great opposition from certain parties amongst the shinobi and civilian entities._ _A primary candidate would be from a man who was no longer a friend nor an enemy nonetheless._ _The unhidden secret behind their opposition always did involve a child in the village despite the odds so against him._

 _And an inevitable failure from him as well._ _The bitter truth was that no matter how much he tried to protect the boy from the harsh realities of the life he had to experience, it was never enough._

 _Now in front of him was an opportunity to rectify the situation and even pacify the council from acting out against him in order to get rid of the boy from the village's boundaries._ _Or even worse, turn him into an emotionless and mindless weapon._

 _"Then Lady Hitomi-sama," said Hiruzen in a tone meant for diplomats and village elders. "I will accept your request."_

 _The little girl's smile stretched even further at listening to the approval of the Hokage. Finally she was able to achieve her dream!_

 _"However if I may be so bold as to ask Lady Hitomi-sama, but why become a kunoichi?" asked Hiruzen, wonder present in his voice._

 _"Because-"_

"Hokage-sama," a feminine voice called the Hokage who seemed to be stuck in a daze. "Are you alright?" continued the voice.

Hiruzen who was caught staring into space re-composed himself and coughed lightly, slightly embarrassed with himself. They say that it is usually the young that are caught in their daydreams and visions that play in their head.

People tend to forget that the old were once young too.

"Yes, yes I am Hitomi," replied Hiruzen. "I was merely thinking about something."

"Alright," answered Hitomi with slight doubt. "I have the scrolls and reports you wanted yesterday. Also just to inform you that next week a trade entourage from Sunagakure will be coming to discuss the new trade policies recently implemented by their village."

"Who will be leading the entourage?" asked Sarutobi as he huffed his pipe slightly, the smell of burning tobacco present in the air.

"Yashamaru, the Sunakage's younger brother" Hitomi stated. "And with all due respect Hokage-sama, will you please not smoke in my presence. It's bad enough that the ANBU have to bear with the smoke," continued Hitomi as she closed her mouth with her right hand, clearly unhappy with the situation.

Hiruzen chuckled slightly at Hitomi's reaction, a small smile appeared on his face. Normally one would be very foolish to even chide at the Hokage for doing anything at all.

Unless you're Hitomi of course. The girl was like a daughter to Hiruzen.

Asuma's scoldings were even worse though. His son consumed a pack of cigarettes a day.

"Alright, alright. You don't have to tell me twice," Hiruzen put out his pipe and disposed of the contents in a bin next to his desk. He placed back his red pipe into it's respectful place. Half-heartedly of course.

"And well Hokage-sama, the council meeting will be held at noon today. The topics that will discussed today are in this list," Hitomi handed the agenda paper to Hiruzen as he read the contents.

Hiruzen's mood dropped to a great degree and a noticeable frown appeared on his face as Hitomi mentioned the meeting today. The main agenda was to discuss last minute preparations for an upcoming festival this coming Friday three days from now.

A festival is a time for happiness and joy present in every people no matter cultural background. As per common sense it is required for the Hokage to attend the festivals celebrated by the inhabitants of the village. Normally, Sarutobi had no problem being the honoured guest at village festivals as it strengthens the bonds between himself and his people whilst the man could relish in fun and enjoyment denied to him since being the Hokage meant to abstain from fun for the sake of responsibility.

Yet this festival was one he had no other choice but to go for, no matter how much he loathed it.

The Celebration of the Defeat of the Kyuubi by the Yondaime.

A celebration that marked one of his greatest failures to protect his people.

And a young boy nonetheless.

In the silence brought by the revelation after Hiruzen read the list given, Hitomi stood and watched the expression of her employer and mentor turned from prior amusement to solemn bitterness. If she was in anyone else's position- especially as an outsider born out of Konoha, she would not understand why was there a sudden change in the Hokage's mood regarding the topic at hand.

But she knew all too well.

An S-rank graded secret entrusted to her by Sarutobi Hiruzen. A burden that should never be placed on the shoulders of anybody what more to say an orphaned child who has no one else to rely on for support.

Meeting the boy was a weekly routine for Hitomi ever since she assumed the position of the Hokage's personal secretary two years ago immediately after passing her Chunin exams. To her, his demeanour was the kind that had an effect on others, albeit divided into two extremes.

Either to be enticed by his charisma completely or to despise it wholeheartedly.

Sadly the premier was a rarity and the latter was a norm.

Based on what she thought of the boy, at a glance he looked to be a normal child shorter than most children his age with mischievous tendencies that branded him as a delinquent. He would often enter the Hokage's office in a way which concerned her greatly; how had he managed to sneak into the office, passing her work desk stationed next to the office doors without her knowledge whatsoever? The boy also had the nerve to call the chief of the village with a title befitting his age yet could sign a death wish for the one who uttered it.

Apparently the 'Old Man' was not offended by the nickname although disrespectful in a general sense. Instead he considered it to be rather 'endearing' and would often tease the boy back in their conversations during their personal meetings.

After officially taking residence in the village and entering the ninja academy at the age of 10, she was rather acquainted with the boy. Meeting him in the Hokage's office was usually coincidental as the blonde had a habit of entering as he pleased- without repercussions of course.

Interactions between himself and her would always be followed in a fixed and uniform form of operations which over the past year had become habitual every time he stopped by the tower. Greetings would be exchange between the two individuals; the blonde would use the honorific '-san' in their conversations. Then the boy would state his purpose to her in which she would allow him entry if and only if Hokage-sama was free. After that he would enter the office, and thus ended would be the conversations between them.

And if he could not get his way, there was always the method of sneaking in without prior permission from her part.

A usual occurrence it was.

Yet no matter how acquainted she was with uthe boy there was so much she did not know of him-her experience only consisted of dealings inside her workplace, never more. There was a mystery shrouding the blonde and she had very little knowledge of of it. Hence her mind would often bring her to wonder ever since she met him for the first time; Why was he so special to the Hokage?

Hitomi knew he was an orphan and that his ancestry traced back to the now non-existent village of Uzushiogakure that stood vacant and ruined south-east of Konohagakure. He was probably the only one of his clansman currently in the village as she heard not nor seen anybody with the same surname. Not being local, she was at least wise enough to put in mind the names of the various ninja clans residing in the village.This was due to the fact that the leaders of these clans would seek an audience with her- only if given permission by Hokage-sama of course.

She was still a princess after all.

Her curiosity of the boy lead her to investigate things herself and with effort she managed to uncover the unknown.

And now her question does not lie on the who was the boy.

Instead she feared for his sanity.

"ANBU, you are dismissed," Hiruzen instructed, a tone of solemnity present in his voice.

The ANBU hidden from view under an invisibility henge posted around the office complied immediately with the Hokage's orders and left the room, the remaining ones being herself and the Hokage. The tension in the room was rather choking, anxiousness accompanied by the inevitable feeling of dread. Yet such emotions felt was not directed to anyone in particular but for a certain someone.

A boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hitomi, all my years as Hokage from the time I was bestowed the honour by the Nidaime, taking the reigns of leadership again after the demise of the Yondaime until now, I have many regrets," said Sarutobi as he stood, his gaze facing the village scenery through one of the windows.

"For Konohagakure, my heart yearns forevermore, a thousand lives I would live just to die once more, to protect the ones I love from the core," Sarutobi continued as the prowess of a poet begin to show.

"Yet of all my regrets, there is one that brings me restless nights. The pain of knowing that there is one I cannot protect, a boy a young orphan who knows nothing but neglect," his voice was threatening to crack at the moment, a heartfelt confession escaping his lips.

"Indeed I possess power, unimaginable in size. The irony of it all is that those who harm him aren't foes from an enemy village, but those I sworn to protect."

Hitomi listened in silence, her eyes watched attentively the man she called her 'Oji-san' in private. The Hokage like all men of his status, hid his weaknesses well behind a persona of uncaring indifference. For a village to remain strong in the eyes of others, its leader must play its part to be an unmoving mountain, placing the village above at all times disregarding their personal feelings.

However, even a solid mountain may break in the end.

"Two days ago, I received a report from one of the ANBU about an attack on Naruto while he was on the way to the market. There have been four attempts this month and it seems they are not stopping. No matter how many laws are emplaced it seems the spirit of hatred is not ceasing. They are only getting worse as the festival approaches." stated the Hokage.

"Tell me honestly Hitomi, what are your thoughts on Naruto-kun?" asked Hiruzen, sadness present in his voice.

Hitomi was rather shocked at the question. After disclosing the secret regarding the sealing of the Kyuubi inside of the child, the Hokage instructed her never to discuss of it again and to leave it be. For her to be asked an opinion regarding the matter was quite a surprise.

"He is a boy with mischievous tendencies who enjoys pranking others and is quite not well-versed in reacting with social situations especially with regards to authority," said Hitomi bluntly.

The answer however expected, still sprouted the feeling of disappointment in Hiruzen although he did not display it in his expression. There was slight hope within him that his granddaughter-like figure would see past Naruto's faults and accept the boy for the good in him- and there was many. Sadly that was not the case and he cannot and would not force his opinions on the girl.

"However, behind all of that I see a boy who is not afraid of being himself. A boy who even with all the odds against him would continue on even if he had to crawl towards his goal. A boy who has much in what he does given that opportunity opens to him. A young child who wants nothing more than to be treated fairly with respect and even be loved. A boy who has the brightest smile in the whole village yet unbeknowingly hides his pain and suffering. If there was someone I admire Hokage-sama, it would be Naruto."

A proud smile appeared on the elderly's face as a tear threatened to escape his right eye. For Naruto who would only receive rejections from those around him, to be seen in such a way by at least one person was a blessing. The boy would be exhilarated just to know that he meant something to someone.

Hiruzen tried his best to fill the cracks of his broken heart anyway he can but he knew it was not enough. The boy needed friends amongst his peers to support him on his perilous journey on the way of becoming a shinobi. They are those who are willing to support him, the boy who was carrying such a heavy burden.

Beneath it all Hiruzen acknowledged that Naruto needed someone other than himself to watch him progress from a far. A figure who would watch him like a guardian angel by his side. One who he would seek if he was in trouble, one he would seek when he needed help.

One he would seek if he needed guidance in time of darkness and light.

At first, the Sandaime had already planned to bring close both Naruto and Hitomi in order that she play the role of the boy's 'sisterly figure'. However due to political reasons, for her to involve herself in the young boy's life was in itself, an action that goes against the council's decision that gazetted the boy as the property of the village instead of just a specific ninja clan even if it was the royal house. Thus a choice was made by the Hokage, although with heavy reluctance. He, with guilt ever present in his heart, instructed Hitomi to avoid the subject of the boy in his presence and the others unless given permission to.

 _My attempts to protect both Naruto and Hitomi have only made it worse for him..._

Thus with a deep breath, a thorough calculation regarding the gain and losses, decision was finally made. He knew this move would hurt his position even further damaging his political influence. Yet if he played his pieces right, with the correct variables in place, no matter if he did hurt himself the boy would finally have what he truly wanted.

 _Love._

"Then with words said Hitomi, there is a mission I must ask you to perform…."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Forgotten Art

"... and thus this concludes the story of the Shodaime Hashirama Senju who together with the Uchiha clan, managed to settle their differences and form the village we all know and love today..."

"Iruka-sensei, I have a question!" asked a plump boy with light pink spirals on his cheeks.

"What is it Choji?" replied the man known as Iruka-sensei with a slight smile on his face.

"When is break? We've been having class non-stop for two hours now. My stomach is-"

"Choji, are all the questions you ask me going to be about lunch time?" replied Iruka, a rather frustrated look appeared on his face, his back slouching.

"Well how can I not ask? It's fifteen minutes past lunch, scheduled-time! I'm staaaaarving..." said Choji as he clenched his stomach in an over-dramatic way, the colour of his cheeks turning blue.

This hilarity of the Akimichi boy's action earned a rowdy laugh from his classmates. Even Iruka-sensei's frown turned into a small smile at listening to the funny outburst from the young heir.

This was a frequent occurance indeed during his lessons. There was the usual complaining from Choji, the squeals and hushed but not so subtle whispers of young to-be-kunoichis for a certain raven-coloured haired boy, a sleeping Shikimaru Nara at the last row on the left side of the bench, a quiet Shino Aburame next to him examining a small insect on his right palm, a smirking blonde on the right back corner of the classroom, Kiba playing with a litle white puppy he called-

"Wait a minute, that boy has that 'look' on his face! That means..."

Thus, a small explosion echoed in the classroom after the thought- the sound had unexpectedly not shock him. There in the center of the room was a girl covered in black ink, her light blonde hair being the most affected area.

"AHHHHHHH MY HAIR, MY HAIR, IT'S STUCK IN MY HAIR!" the victim who went by the name of Ino Yamanaka shouted, her shreeching reaching decibels that could harm the human ear. Those who were close to her immediately closed their ears in order to avoid unfortunate repercussions- temporary deafness.

The expression of the boy changed now from smirking to outright smiling, hearty laughter escaping his lips. The scene playing in front of him was very enjoyable indeed! He relished his accomplishment of unsuspectingly pranking the Yamanaka heir.

Normally the young blonde would not do pranks which in a sense was 'damaging physically and emotionally', however Ino Yamanaka was a seperate case.

She and another pink-headed girl with a wide forehead named Sakura loved to torment and insult him if the opportunity arises. This was due to the fact that as pioneers of the 'Uchiha-fangirl club' they made it their duty to make his life miserable at the academy.

Let's just say that the Uchiha boy and him do not have the best of relations.

"Serves her right!" whispered Naruto to himself, the ecstasy of self-righteous satisfaction flowing through his veins.

By combining knowledge from the scrolls he 'borrowed' from the Hokage's library- since he was not allowed to enter the public libraries available, he learned a way to store items through symbols and characters, a ninja form known as Fuinjutsu.

One would expect the boy dubbed 'the lowest in class' to act similar to his namesake. Yet not many know the true nature of the inner machinations of the blond.

It was absolutely accidental- stumbling upon this branch of ninja knowledge. A story commencing through a memory of a Friday evening of a passing summer when business at the office was at its slowest...

...

 _It was as mentioned, an evening on a Friday specifically in the warm season of summer, when the 'Himawari- sunflowers' were at it's finest bloom. The sun was setting in the western horizon an hour before twilight as heavens above painted an orange-yellow hue, a depiction of visuals indescribable by words alone._

 _The winds that blew were warm yet strong, pushing through grass fields like waves on water. Birds and small woodlands creatures were returning back to their homes, deep in the forest surrounding the village were them._

 _The village itself, with buildings and towers coming in different arrays of shapes and sizes, brought life to valley where nature and man seem to intertwine harmoniously. The great mountainous terrain north of the village where the Hokage faces lie shone like an immense display, the stonework of the momument clear even to an onlooker at from the centre of the village._

 _And there it was in the centre, the Hokage's Tower that stood proud red in colour amongst the other buildings, even if it was not the tallest nor the most colourful of them all. The kanji symbol of '火-Fire' decorated the upper center of the tower on a wooden board, stressing the fact that it was the Hokage that reigned there._

 _Altogether, the bits and pieces of images formed with one another, creating a masterpiece in the spectrum of reality. A painting by intelligent design yet the sense of pure parallel coincidence was ever present differentiating between the fantasy in reality against the lucidity of the senses._

 _How was it possible for such a village to come into existence when a utopia was an impossibility in a temporary realm?_ _Yet Konohagakure was paradise on earth._

 _Well not to everyone at least._

 _Sitting on the rooftop of the Hokage's Tower was a boy with clear sky blue eyes, his hair swaying in the wind as his legs tangled at the edge of the circular compound. His gaze stretched towards the scenary in front of him while etching his mind to commit to memory the pure beauty of nature._

 _It was times like this when he actually felt free. Liberation from the anchoring sensation of hatred and animosity directed towards him by everyone else. For once he was succumbing to the peace around him, with the opportunity of attempt and measured ability he greedily tried to consume it whole._

 _Just to make it last longer after all._

 _When the boy eleven in age is in solitude, he would in habit stay in the state of stillness unmoving with exception of his limbs and the occasional stretching here and there- akin to small domestic animals, and just pretend._

 _Pretend what one may ask? It is often said that the mind is place to escape from reality which holds one to the physical world. If one has mastered the art of dreamscaping and daydreaming then in a way one's thoughts is able to enter a seperate state of sensibility powered by imagination alone._

 _Logic is often unrelated to this action._

 _And here the boy, his mind envisioned. A faux world where he had everything he truly wanted._

 _Closing his eyes with the image enplaced, he started to dream_

 _"... but daaaaad, I don't want to go to school tomorrow," said a familiar blonde boy, he was slightly taller now his cheeks devoid of the whisker-like marks._

 _"Well school is important you know. You may not like going but there are many things you can get from school which you can't get anywhere else. The experience itself is once in a life time," a man who was two feet taller than the boy replied._

 _He had long brown hair till his shoulders and thin eyebrows. He was of strong build and was wearing a green vest which complimented his broad chest and wide shoulders._ _He was in terms of physical embodiment, the epitome of a jounin-level shinobi._

 _"Well for your case, it isn't exactly once in a lifetime," the man continued, touching his chin in wonder as if pausing in thought. "Probably less than 265 days more to go!" he said now with a smile on his face eyes closed._

 _"Urgh," the boy said with slight disdain present in his voice. "I wish I could just well, ya know umm...skip the academy and...and learn from you instead?" the boy added each word less audible than the last._

 _"What was that Naruto? Couldn't really hear you," the man replied a look of curiousity on his eyes._

 _"I mean yeah, umm ya know... hehehe.. Like you're a super awesome ninja I mean..." Naruto said quite softly with a sheepish smile on his face._

 _"Yes well I most probably am, you were saying?" his gaze now boring through him._ _At the sight of his father's blue eyes staring back at him, his heart began racing slight while sweat continued to form around his forehead._

 _His father always had this effect on him due to the fact that the man could easily break a secret from him just by a look. It was one of his powerful arsenals against him!_

 _"It's not that I did anything wrong anyway..." whispered Naruto in his heart._

 _"I mean why don't I skip class tomorrow so that we can well, spend time with each other since you're not working tomorrow and and... I can learn a new jutsu from you!" said Naruto, clearly this time._

 _An amused expression formed on the man's face as he chuckled a light laugh at his child's antics. With the way Naruto usually acted, the boy would often overthinking thus making things deemed insignificant into something really big. The tendancy to overreact especially when getting excited was what made Naruto well, Naruto._

 _"Of course, of course my little yellow sunshine," his father said, patting his head in an endearing manner._ _Normally in the aspects of physical acts of love and attention from parents, boys at Naruto's age would often avoid them entirely for fear that it made them feel 'childish' in a vain attempt to 'grow up'._

 _However in Naruto's case, getting a pat on the head or a warm hug really mattered to him , and he enjoyed every moment of it._ _Even if he was rather annoyed at his father teasing him with his nickname in public._ _He did not mind in private of course._

 _"Otou-san," Naruto said his face quite red out of embarrassment. "Don't call me that in public! What if-"_

 _"I thought you rather did like that nickname, if I'm not mistaken," cutted the man with a smirk on his face._

 _"It's not that I don't like it," Naruto answered his face still tomato-red. "It's just that I don't want the other kids to know about it," the boy explained._

 _"And why not?" asked the man back._ _The instant the question was asked an uncomfortable sensation sprouted out of the blonde's chest. The topic at hand was a rather sensitive topic, something he did not enjoy talking about even if he had the feeling that his father knew about it. Sure he had a quite an amicable relationship with his father-something most children who adhere to the shinobi ways do not, but the thought of his father knowing about his social problems and discussing it with him was somewhat disconcerting._

 _It made him weak._

 _He did not want to look weak in the sight of the man he so admired._

 _Now, it was well known to the perspective of an onlooker towards the boy bearing mischief on his shoulders that he would not be bothered by such jabs and insults towards his name and being. It was often regarded that the dear blonde was a pinnacle of strive and endurance, an unmoving entity on it's path to greatness._

 _Yet not many had paid close attention to the slight details behind the figurative porcelain mask that the boy wore from time to time. A mask with a few cracks and wide blue innocuous eyes. Eyes that belonged to a child nonetheless._

 _Said eyes were looking at the ground, refusing to look up. Refusing to look at gaze of the man he called father._

 _Then he felt it._

 _A warmth engulfing his body. Affection expressed in a simple action which brought the same meaning in different languages and tongues whether they belonged to beast or man._

 _A sign of devotion that filled man with an emotion recited in poetry and sung in lamentations- such wonder it would be to have it so!_

 _Love._

 _And in the arms of the man, the boy with the brightest smile cried, his fragile mask having been shattered revealing a broken boy who yearned nothing more than to be loved. A boy who by the whims and desires of written destiny suffered a great torment, a misery that no son of man should endure._

 _Thus at last, he whose heart shouts to the highest heaven above, with clear intentions finally had what he wanted. A desire so craved granted, a longing so wished fulfilled._

 _He finally was happy..._

 _Right?_

 _Yet the tears that flowed down his cheeks soft and untainted they are, were not of happiness._

 _"No matter what they say or what they do to you... Naruto, know this," the man said close enough to the blonde's face 'till their foreheads touched._

 _"I will always love you."_

 _They were tears of hope never lost._

...

 _Emptiness._

 _Such was that, a feeling that accompanied him as he awoke from his dream._

 _A revêrie of desires. Nothing more, nothing less._

 _Darkness shrouded around him pitch black in colour with the brightest light above; the moon, silver yet duller. The evening that came had come to pass, it's beauty lost but not entirely alas._

 _His eyes were still wet, traces of tears were present on his cheeks. With the knowledge that his surroundings, clear of prying watchers, he allowed them to flow; complete._

 _Ever since he was but a little child, Naruto would often allow himself to succumb to his daydreams. His mind would then play scenarios and hypothetical events that reflected actual situations in a better light of what he experienced on a daily basis. In all, with the assistance of pure imagination, the boy was able to craft a representation of his inner desires sewn into an ethereal illusion, one he would achieve as he fell into partial slumber._

 _A fantasia created by sheer will alone._ _Lucid dreaming._ _An art mastered by those who are able to manipulate the happenings of their subconscious thoughts to their whims._ _Many who wish to gain this ability would use it to live through their abstract fantasies- to be viziers of vast unnamed lands, to possess power beyond that of man made gods, to gain riches and treasures that no being could ever have._

 _And for a certain character, to be able to see loved ones once more._

 _Naruto never met his parents. An orphan he was- a title he would hold for the rest of his days._

 _Regarding his parentage the blonde was told by Ji-san that he was found under rubble of a collapsed building during the Kyuubi attack. He was then rescued by the Old Man himself and was unfortunately the only known survivor of the calamity_.

 _However, logical consideration states that being just an orphan was not an absolute variable with regards to the animosity of the villagers towards him. Many orphans inhabit the city-like village yet none of them were not abused like he was. Some even took residence in the streets and yet are allowed to roam freely as they wished without interference from society as a whole._

 _Thus, a thorough hypothesis was made by the boy a while back regarding his unsensible mistreatment -there must have been something about his lineage that brought such hate upon him._

 _Investigations upon investigations, there seemed to be no lead to his prior assumptions. The village's libraries were off-limits to him, thus that cancelled the possibility of conducting his research there- apparently it was harder to sneak in any of the libraries than the Hokage's Tower! Orally through some well-timed questions in class- since the teachers had a heavy bias against him as well, he attempted to ask only when they lacked the attention to notice that he was the one inquiring- he managed to disclose a few things regarding his familial namesake._

 _The Uzumaki Clan hailed from the Land of Whirlpools, an island like country south west of Hi no Kuni which was it's own souverign nation. Not much history was known about the now barren land void of civilization with exception to it's past alliances with Konohagakure- a feat proven to be in vain as pleads for help were left to deaf ears- as well as it's people speaking a different language unrelated to the common tongue with a constrasting grammatical structure dissimilar to what was spoken generally by the inhabitants of the Land of Fire._

 _Hence, it was established that the children of the Whirlpools were not native to the region. They were nothing more than foreigners, roaming the earth in search of a new place to call home._

 _Naruto considered the possibility that his parents were once notorious criminals commiting the utmost gruesome of acts thus gaining the scorn of the villagers. However, due to their premature deaths, it was then decided that their target of detest was to be directed to him to compensate for their disability to seek vengeance personally._

 _It was a probable consideration, yet at present were factors which nullified his theory. If they were truly transgressors, then why of all things would the Hokage consider to take care of a lonely orphan, in a way affiliating himself to the child at the same time offering protection and aiding said child with his expenditures? Surely there were more deserving orphans out there that deserved it more than him._

 _A memory resurfaced to his thoughts._

...

 _"... because Naruto-kun, on that fateful night when great fires surrounded the village, death and destruction stalked at every corner waiting to strike regardless of who," said Hiruzen, a pipe in his mouth and a feathered-pen in his hand- a gift from an old friend in the Land of Snow._

 _"So, who exactly am I Jiji? I... I just want to know" asked Naruto, his voice shaky the usual playful tone lacking._

 _Sarutobi Hiruzen kept a stoic expression on his face, the wrinkles on his face rather apparent on his withering visage. A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he placed his pipe down to face the boy._

 _Yet behind the solidity of his figure lied a certain truth regarding the matter._

 _Then again he knew..._

 _There was something not right._

 _The Hokage refused to look at the boy._

 _Lingering in his eyes were sadness and despair coming to form. Yet there it was; one emotion, one emotion that stood out amongst all._

 _Regret._

 _"I do not know."_

...

 _It would never strike the mind of an average citizen of Konohagakure that the Uzumaki boy was intelligent. But, under the guise of his loud and brash nature lied a boy that possessed intellect similar to that of a Nara. Then again, if he was really that smart, why did he have to repeat another semester at the academy once more?_

 _Not even his intelligence was enough to win the hearts of others._

 _It hurt to be called a cheater, it hurt to know that no matter how well he did no one would like him._

 _He was no natural genius, but in order to survive he needed to be._

 _Naruto shaked the thought from his mind, clearly wanting to avoid another crying fit from happening again. Calming himself down, his eyes wandered once more to the village he so loved, lights of various colours illuminated its surroundings._

 _Even as night covered the Land of Fire, Konohagakure was still vibrant, bustling with business and life. Shops were still open, restaurants and bars were welcoming their patrons, public and tourist attractions were still on operation! As the typical saying goes; the Night Life is the Fun Life._

 _Moreover knowing that the two-week Summer Festival was to be held next week, it was common sense to business owners to extend their operation hours in order to maximize profits. Tourists from all over the elemantal nations were coming to visit hence such was the explanation to the sudden boost in populace- their expected presence made walking through the village into quite a troublesome affair._

 _Naruto rather liked the foreigners than his local people; reasons were blatantly obvious of course. They were generally nice people who followed the basic laws of social ethics also known as the give-and-take principle and as one who was rarely on the receiving end of such treatment, it always brought him slight happiness._

 _When someone is nice to you, be nice to them back._

 _Naruto shivered, a gust of cool air rushed in his direction. The atmosphere of summer was not as warm as books made them feel right here in Konoha especially when cool and dry winds from Iwagakure blew towards the south. On average during summer, the Hidden Leaf's temperature would usually ranged from 18 Celcius to a maximum of 32 Celcius._

 _Unsurprisingly this was considered nothing when compared to Sunagakure's summers which could reach a maximum of 51 Celcius._

 _Naruto stood up from his sitting position, annoyed at himself for not bringing his jacket. Tucking his hands in the pockets of his pants- he was at least thankful that he was wearing long slacks instead of his usual, he walked away from the edge of the rooftop towards a door leading down the inside of the tower._

 _Before reaching the door his thoughts wandered once more to his dream. The sweetness of being embraced by a father was nothing more than a mere wish to the boy. In no way shall he receive the warmth similar to that of what he imagined._

 _Yet the most pathetic thing was, he could actually feel the sensations in his head if he concentrated on the details hard enough._

 _This was the main reason why he wanted to learn Genjutsu. A form of jutsu in which one could intrance the mind into submitting to illusions and trickery to an extent where the one who experienced them would submit and believe in them wholeheartedly. Although the effects could be broken by certain methods, it had the ability to be a valueble asset to if applied correctly._

 _And maybe, he could use it on himself too..._

 _Ever since he heard about the existance of such a special branch of jutsu at the academy, he yearned to learn it. He was rather well acquainted with the requirements of course; he had very vivid imagination and although his appearence was as so, he was certainly sure that he was a highly observant individual._

 _Yet with all requirements he lacked what was most important- chakra control._ _He had long given up on the being taught properly by the academy instructors and sought to find necessary ways to improve himself. Then it occured to him that the only means for him now if he took the journey himself._

 _With that he opened the door and walked inside the upper floors of the Hokage's Tower directing himself to the library which was three floors below him. Now it was well known to Naruto that Ji-san would obviously allow him to borrow books as he pleased from his personal book collection then again one would wonder; why was he sneaking in the Tower at night in order to enter to the library?_

 _Well by law since he was not officially a ninja yet, he was not allowed to borrow any books regarding practical jutsus with the exception of having a permission slip from an academy teacher._

 _Then again he would have known by now that getting such clearance was very difficult. In their words, "That **boy** should never have been allowed in this school in the first place," he recalled a bitter memory, the word 'boy' said with utter dis_ _dain._

 _Thus he walked as quietly as possible down the stairs we hopes of not alerting the guards of his presence. It may seem foolish for him to sneak around with Jounin-level ANBU patrolling the area however to be fair Naruto had quite a number run-ins with them. Hence based on his prior engagements, it was safe to say that if he was careful, he would be able to out run them._

 _"Plus, I could always use plan B if anything goes wrong," said Naruto to himself, with plan B being him using an escape route he thoroughly thought of a while back._

 _Naruto was now on the library's floor, the library being a left turn away. He could feel that his heart was beating rapidly, the thumping sound echoing in his ears. Adrenaline was flowing through his veins, the sensation was rather exhilarating! It felt that he was on a special mission really, given to him by the Hokage himself in order to go behind enemy lines and retrieve S-ranked documents._ _The irony of course was that he was currently sneaking in the Hokage's tower to steal a book._

 _Naruto shrugged the thought. It wasn't like he was commiting huge treason against the village anyways._

 _Peaking from the corner Naruto was greatly relieved- what luck to know that the library's doors lacked the presence of guards near them! With a left turn, his destination was in sight across the hallway just straight ahead._

 _Opening the door, Naruto then took in the scent of old books and scrolls entrapped in the room, just wanting to escape. The room was dark and there appeared to be no available light source around with the exception of moonlight entering through the windows- with a few of them being opened._

 _However small the space may be, it did not make any difference towards the fact that this room contained information many nations would wage war for. It was rather funny to think that a mere boy like him- who was not even Genin yet- could just enter without suffering such consequences for it._

 _He loved going to the library. It was a sanctuary for him and an escape from the realities of the world. Not many know that the blonde was fond of reading. It was a hobby of his other than pranking certain individuals especially those that had wronged him- a mild personal vendetta one may say, as well as playing his wooden flute he found one day on the way back from the academy._

 _In other words other than dreamscaping, books was also another means for him to cope for all the bad he experienced in his life._

 _It was helpful, kinda..._

 _Now then the Hokage's library was divided into three sections- the front, mid- and back section._

 _The front section had six bookshelves with four levels arranged three rows while for the scrolls special shelves are attached to the walls on the right side of the library. The books and scrolls contained here consisted of both fiction and non fiction- the bookshelves on the left contained fiction type books while on the right side contained non-fictional ones._

 _The mid-section was designated the sitting area with few desks facing the walls and a perfectly circular wooden table in the centre with ten chairs surrounding it._ _The wood of the table was of the Mokūton, a special addition to the library by the Shodaime Hokage due to him having students entering and using his library. In the centre of the table lied a white Camelia flower- Naruto was well acquainted with flowers due to his love for gardening,- standing still under a bell jar while snow fell from inside the glass container. Such a flower was native to only one country amongst the elemental nations, a that country was said to experience the curse of an eternal winter._

 _The Land of Snow_

 _Naruto did not know why but based on his prior observations of Sarutobi, the Old Man seemed to have an odd fixation with the country. Naruto was well aware that Ji-san was an author and had even read in secret the drafts to his current work 'Dance of the Falling Snowflakes'. Recalling the contents, it looked to be an adventure-romance type of book._

 _Another story to add regarding this peculiarity was once as the boy wanted to enter the library, he noticed that the door left slightly ajar, only for him to peek through to notice his grandfather like figure inside._

 _There he was the Old Man, lost in his thoughts,_ _gazing upon the flower in reminiscence as his right hand caressed the glass bell jar delicately as if it was fragile to break by a single touch. There was something rather bittersweet about the scene, for on his wrinkled face held a small smile, a smile that one would wear when thinking of the past. Yet his eyes Naruto saw, in them carried sadness and longing, a gaze that he was rather well acquainted with._

 _The bell jar itself was an intricate piece of artwork, engraved on it were snowflakes to each of them, a special design and pattern like clockwork- and there were nine of them, with the centre the prettiest of them all._

 _The snow that fell from inside the glass container was in essence, a marvel of natural artistry, creating the mystical wonder of the coldest season in history._

 _For each petal of the white Camillia was a story untold and for each of the leaves that remained evergreen was a tale of gold._

 _But there was something about the flower and the man that the boy could not understand, a feeling a memory he did not have in hand._

 _And as he peeked too much to the side, the door opened; suddenly wide, revealing a young boy that had pried, trying his very best to hide._

 _Yet the man was not shocked, his eyes at the boy without mock, he invited him in calmly,_ _and laughed a laugh of glee._

 _And at present, the same blonde was touching the glass and as he stroked gently the bell jar with his right hand he felt a soothing sensation on his palm; 'twas_ _not cold as frost but cool as first snow._

 _Ever since the first time entering the library the boy was curious about the flower in question. Sure he was naughty- compared to a few years back the Naruto now was a 'saint-like figure' - and tried removing the bell jar to get the flower but his efforts were to no avail sadly._

 _Indeed the blond had acknowledged it's beauty in the past but never had he seen a flower as pristine and elegant as the one in the glass chamber underneath the ethereal moonlight._

 _Again the boy understood not the significance of the flower to the Old Man; perhaps it was from his late wife? Ever since the passing of Aika-sama he would often have that sad look in his eyes when he thought no one was watching. Sure he was his normal self most of the time but there was no denying that to lose a loved one was a pain unimagineable._

 _A feeling the boy could relate to indefinitely._

 _Then again even before the untimely passing of his dear wife, that look in his eyes as he stared at the flower; it carried the same sign of loss, the same emotion of sorrow..._

 _"Perhaps the true meaning of the flower lies only with both the giver and the gifted," said Naruto solemnly at heart._

 _Naruto snapped himself out of his thoughts. He was supposed to get a book on Genjutsu not try and act poetic! Gently removing his hand from the bell jar, he then proceeded to walk towards his destination- not before turning his head one last time to stare at the flower, of course._

 _Lastly, there was the final part of the library; the back section. Unlike the other two sections which was open for him to wander around the back section was seperated into another room and had a one-way entry; a simple black oak door._

 _Indeed to eye of the common observer, it would appear to be that the door was normal- harmless even- and how could the contents behind the door match up to the safety protocols that came with it._

 _Harmless it was not. Why?_

 _Because the door was **alive**._

 _Or at least, well, sentient enough to attack anyone that touches it's bronze knob with strong root-like ropes then wrapping them tight enough 'till they suffocate..._

 _The worst part was, no amount of Katon based jutsu was enough to wither the wooden chains._

 _Naruto was a witness to such an incident, and boy was it **not** pretty._

 _Was the boy worried? Yes he was. Any miscalculation from his part might cost him his very life. Was the boy scared? Obviously. Having prior knowledge of what the door could do to him was_ _horrifying_.

 _Then, w_ _hat was he going to do now? Touch the doorknob and open the door_ _of course._

 _Why perform such a foolish action? Because he knew the secret, the way to open the mostrosity of a door, courtesy of Hitomi-san who came right on time to save a poor Chunin-ranked shinobi who got himself entangled by the viscious tendrils sprouted by the door because he was foolish enough to disregard the notice in front of the it that stated clearly to not be near it unless having clearence to do so._

 _The prospects of becoming a spy-nin in the future was very bright indeed, very bright indeed for the boy._

 _So with a silent prayer to the Lord of All Worlds, he went right in front of the door and reached for the doorknob of bronze with his right hand. He was feeling it; dread, a grievous level of nervousness. His eardrums was drowned by the sound of viguorous thumps from his heart, sweat was pouring from every pore of skin in hopes of cooling his overheating body. His throat was dry, salivy accumilating and if he was to attempt to mouth a speech, no words would_ _form._

 _Such was the anxious sensations which accompanied life and death situations._

 _Plus, h_ _e was already prepared to shout out the password immediately if it meant_ _him being saved from an inevitable doom._

 _Thus he touched it._

 _Silence._

 _Silence._

 _Silence._

 _Nothing happened._

 _"Huh? Wh..wh.. whaaat?!?" screamed Naruto to himself, his emotions being a mix of relief and outright astonishment._

 _"Impossible. How... how could this happen? I.. I'm safe, but-"_

 _"Nevermind that Naruto!" Naruto said chiding his self doubt. "The most important thing right now is that you can get the book and leave as quickly and quietly as possible."_

 _One would expect the room containing the knowledge that could destroy nations to be a sight to behold yet such visions were just wishful thinking._

 _The room in front of him was a dump._

 _Well not exactly a dump per say but maybe close to being one of those office archives where they stored old documents that accumilated over time because no one bothered to check on them?_

 _Cobwebs were built at each corner, pieces of papers and books of scrolls were scattered on the floor, dust and other small particles were floating in the air - not that Naruto could see clearly due to the lack of light in the room but the musty smell was ever strong- thick enough like thin mist._

 _With everything in a state of disarray, how was Naruto supposed to look for his book?_

 _"On the bright side, at least they were bookracks and shelves around... I could start from there?" said Naruto to himself, annoyed that he had to go treasure hunting in the dark._

 _To what felt like an hour or two the boy finally managed to find two books, one on chakra control exercises and another on theory of Genjutsu._

 _On the other hand, due to his continuous efforts of going through the mountain of scrolls behind the room without causing such a ruckus he_ _also managed to get his hands on a thick scroll with the title 'Secrets of the Illusionists: The Art of Genjutsu'. The author of the work was not mentioned on the scroll's cover unfortunately._

 _He then carefully placed the imposingly large and heavy scroll in between the two books he acquired on a clear floor area with both his arms. He noted as well the estimation of the weight of the scroll to be around thirty to fourty stones,_ _that would be around three quarters of own body weight._

 _There was some dirt and dust on the documents but other than that the covers were in relatively good condition._

 _Satisfied with the fruits of his searches, the boy then kept the chakra control book in his right pocket while the book on genjutsu was placed in left pocket_.

 _At the sight of the scroll on the ground, there was a subtle irritation_ _growing in his breast- how was he going to carry such a big and heavy scroll back to his small apartment which was located several blocks away? Sure he could try again and 'borrow' it the next time but there was just one problem._

 _There might not be a next time, even if it was with the Hokage's permission._

 _The scroll looked to be super important for a mere future-Genin like him to handle. There was also the fear of said scroll falling into enemy hands if in the posession of said child._

 _The infiltration of the tower and extraction of the literary articles was planned prior two months before in accordance to current events taking place- the Hokage's three day visit to the northern industrial district of the Land of Fire with the Daimyo, the lack of presence of guards because of said visit and the present day being a Friday as well as on the eve of the Summer Festive which meant that security was at it's most minimum due to working hours ending earlier than usual- around 6 p.m instead of the normal 10 p.m._

 _If the sun was to set around 9 p.m then the boy estimated the current time to be at approximately 11 p.m._

 _Surely there was no one here, right?_

 _The perks of having a library without a librarian ~_

 _There was also the issue of the size of the scroll. It was big. Very obvious. He can't just walk through the village parading the scroll that just screamed 'very important ninja secrets' in the middle of the night when the streets were filled with people both local and foreign wondering where on earth did the blond get such a thing._

 _With a reluctant sigh, the boy made a decision; he had to carry the heavy thing on his shoulders and use the roofs to reach his home. Even if it was an extreme pain to his behind._

 _The good news_ _at least was_ _he had already learned how to increase his jumping power to at least 15 feet above the ground from the academy._ _And since the buildings of Konohagakure are built so very close to each other, this meant that the difficulty of his job had decreased rather significally._

 _Picking up the scroll with some effort, he then placed the load on his shoulders and proceeded to walk from the scroll section ._ _Never had Naruto been as thankful as now_ _to always be sent to detention in which he would have to undergo through straineous physical exercises such as pushups due to him causing 'trouble' during class._

 _It seemed also that nobody else at the academy would have to endure such punishment by the teachers if they did anything wrong._

 _Well, except him of course._

 _Why was it always him that bad things happen to?_

 _Why was it always him that people hate?_

 _Why was it always him that had to suffer all of this?_

 _Why was it always him?_

 _Why was it always him?_

 _Why was it always him?_

 _Why?_

 _Why?_

 _Why?_

 _Why?_

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _Why?_**

 ** _WhY? wyh? wYh? WYh? why whywhywhywhayahayahwywhwywhym..._**

 ** _WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY_**

 ** _WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**

 _And then it strucked him._

 _The numbness._

 _The difficulty in breathing._

 _The mind going blank._

 _The whispers were getting louder..._

 _Louder..._

 ** _LOUDER!!!!!!!!!!_**

 _Every insult filled with mallice, every punch to his face, every kick to his stomach, all the pain he experienced after all this time._

 _He could feel it._

 _"No no no no no **NOOOOOOOOO!** SUPRESS IT NARUTO DON'T LISTEN TO IT!!!! DON'T LISTEN TO IT!!!!!"_

 _The boy was on the verge of collapsing. His senses were going blurry. He immediately dropped himself on the floor with a loud thud letting go of the scroll while curling himself into a ball._

 _Shaking hands were pressing hard against his ears._

 _Tears started to flow._

 _"Go to hell you demon!"_

 _"You son of a bitch!"_

 _Images of a blonde boy aged five years old being beaten senselessly by boys older than him played in his mind._

 _Broken bones and blood._

 _Pain._

 _"We don't hang out with poor clanless orphans"_

 _"Yeah, go play with your smelly kind on the streets where you belong!"_

 _Memories of a boy wearing dirty ripped clothes who wanted to play with the neatly dressed children in the park appeared in his mind._

 _Embarrasement._

 _Loneliness._

 _Tears._

 _"There's no way that brainless idiot got higher than Sasuke-kun in the exam"_

 _"Not only is he stupid, he's a freakin' cheater as well!"_

 _"Cheater, cheater, Naruto-baka is a cheater"_

 _"Sensei do something about this! Expel the cheater out from the academy!"_

 _"Yeah! He would make a useless ninja anyway"_

 _Images of a taller blond boy being accused and insulted by children his age came to mind._

 _Sadness._

 _Fake smiles._

 _Pain._

 _"Your parents never loved you_ "

" _Go rot in hell"_

 _The invisible voices were loud and painful. Naruto knew this. He had fought with them many times before. Figures of others without faces; they inhibit the deepest and darkest part of his mindscape, patiently waiting to be set free, patiently waiting to be let loose._

 _Patiently waiting to bring him into insanity._

" _DAMN IT JUST_ **ST-STOP STOP IT!** "

 _The boy continued to shout at himself, each time louder than before. His hands now stiffened, were grabbing his golden locks and pulling them hard. A few strands were removed, in the small hands of the child yet his blond mane remained._

 _"No one will ever love you"_

 _And with that the boy slapped himself hard in the face; once and twice. His facial expressions were changing from a face of anguish to one of a wild feral smile. The whispers were strong, and strong were their insinuations._

 _"Look at him hitting himself, pathetic! Hahahahahahaha"_

 _No matter how far he ran, no matter how far he went the boy could never escape from the voices. They would attack him at random in times when he was at his weakest, haunting him, reminding him of the sufferings and cruelty of the world against him, offering him only one way to end it all._

 _Death._

 _So simple it was the answer, the way to solve all his problems; just a cut on his wrist and a slash to his throat._

 _Easy._

 _Clean._

 _Quick._

 _His presence was meaningless._

 _He was just a nameless nobody._

 _Nobody would care about him anyway._

...

 _Yet in the midst of darkness and despair, in the heart of a so very broken soul, there lied a piece of goodness that gave strength to the dear boy._

 _Hope._

 _A wish that one day he would love and be loved._

 _Was it possible? May it be so._

 _Only if he willed to never let go._

 _And thus the whispers slowly ceased in his mind, the painful memories disappearing one by one. The boy then took in calmly deep breaths, telling himself that he had to relax._

 _With his body in control, his thoughts in tact he then remembered his true purpose in fact._

 _How was he supp_ o _ssed to carry the rather heavy scroll back?_

 _Standing up and rising to his normal posture, Naruto's body would often ache after such mental attacks. The aches were painless in nature as th_ e _sensations which followed were like one awoken from deep slumber. He then placed his right hand on his right chest and strocked it gently._

 _"Be patient dear heart have faith dear heart," he recited to himself, a mantra he found in an ancient book of guidance and wisdom in the past._

 _Naruto was used to the bouts of anxiety attacks which plagued him from when he was but a young child living alone in his apartment- often back then he would get it once or twice a week especially when he was alone. The reactions to the attacks would normally differ, the mild one being the feeling of him going blank suddenly as if he was losing sense of his surroundings._

 _It was rather unfortunate for him that of all times to experience the stronger reaction, in the middle of an important self-assignment, really?_

 _On the bright side of things, at least the boy was able to recover quickly from them as if nothing of concern had occured to him moments ago._

 _He was after all to the eyes of the crowd, Naruto Uzumaki._

 _Goofy and happy go-lucky Naruto Uzumaki._

 _As his eyes searched for the scroll that had fell from his grasp, he was shocked and went to panic to see that the huge item was lost to his sight- such a big scroll was easy to spot in the dark, no? Was his previous episode of a psychological breakdown that bad for him to be unable to remember where he last dropped it?_

 _He checked his left and right pockets, the bulging of the two books be there. Surely, he was not hallucinating about the scroll; it was real he was sure of it!_

 _Where was it?_

 _He bent down and crawled on the ground._

 _To his surprise after on the dusty floor partly covered with age-old documents lied two scrolls, just a span or two from each other. Curious, he picked both up and while squinting his eyes and holding the scrolls closely to his face, he then read the titles of the two scrolls._

 _Introductions to the Fundamentals of Fūinjutsu: The Ancient Sealing Techniques of Takigakure (Common Tongue First Edition)_

 _Secrets of the Illusionists: The Art of Genjutsu_

 _Contrary to popular belief, Naruto was quite a logical person. Indeed, in the shinobi world one could easily manipulate the fabrics of reality to suit one's needs; blowing fire out of the mouth? Seen it. Changing into the exact replica of another person? Done that. To him all of that was possible rationally._

 _But for something as huge and heavy as the Genjutsu scroll to shrink and become lighter all all of a sudden..._

 _Now, that was new._

 _He shrugged, clearly not wanting_ _to think about it further._

 _He was just about to shove the Genjutsu scroll down his right pocket when he noticed something really odd._

 _The atmosphere of the room suddenly became too quiet._

 _Was it just paranoia? Maybe. However being a ninja meant that one must learn to trust one's instincts or gut-feeling even if it seemed irrational at first. And there was one thing Naruto learned after being chased by Chunin-level shinobi for pulling off his pranks all over Konohagakure._

 _He was being watched like prey._

 _"Deep breaths, Naruto. Don't move a muscle," he reminded himself in his mind, his senses now at their keenest._

 _And then he heard it. The cutting of stale air by an aerodynamic object._

 _A kunai._

 _And so Naruto immediately dropped himself on the floor, losing once more his grasp with the Genjutsu scroll and the other scroll he found. Cursing himself for his lack of insight, he quickly grabbed the scroll closest to him and proceeded to pocket if in his left pocket then immediately hid behind one of the bookshelves. Thankfully, even if the room was not really big, he had the advantage of the room's darkness and scattered tables and bookshelves to act as cover._

 _He then sneaked a peak through the holes in between the books to take a clear look of his attacker._

 _Standing in front of the only exit out of the library bathed in calm moonlight was someone Naruto hoped to never cross paths with when he was ever on one of his endeavours._

 _With his emotionless cat-faced mask and his spiky grey hair was an ANBU-member dubbed by Naruto as 'The Silent Cat'._

 _Unlike most ANBU-members that he ran across when he was causing 'trouble'- the villagers would often call them if they saw Naruto loitering around Konohagakure minding his own business- the Silent Cat never commented or said a word in his presence.The others however, would either grunt or say things behind their masks but Cat here would just keep his silence._

 _And Naruto knew based on those actions alone that the the Silent Cat was not someone he wanted mess with in the near future._

 _If he actually had a future to look forward to in the first place._

 _The grey-haired A_ _NBU then entered the forbidden section of the library with caution. With his left hand, he zlowly unsheathed a sword from behind his back, the blade shining a bright glint reflecting the smoothness of it's craftsmanship regardless of the lack of light. His movements appeared to be so calculated and precise that Naruto could not help but admire the man._

 _Even if it seemed that he was about to kill him._

 _And at the worst moment possible his stomach started to grumble._

 _"Crap crap crap! Of all the times you had to act up why now?!" Naruto said internally to himself._

 _The consequence of skipping dinner was going to get him killed._

 _As if his luck was running out the Silent Cat turned towards his direction and walked slowly with anticipation. The rate of adrenaline kicking into Naruto's body system was at his highest causing his heartbeat to accelerate faster and faster his eardrums occupied by the loud thumps of his heart. Naruto then recited a silent prayer to the One above All that if he were to die tonight, at least let it be a painless death._

 _And thus the Silent Cat disappeared from his sight. Where did he go the boy asked himself. Did he leave and gave up his search? Was the by destined to witness and live another day?_

 _Yet relief did not ushered the boy into it's warm embrace. Why one may ask? As the boy was about to stand from his squatting position he then felt a slight jab on the back of his neck._

 _Greeting him behind him was a sight that would forever haunt his dreams._

 _The Silent Cat._

 _And so Naruto with dread and acceptance slowly closed his eyes and readied for his end. To die a traitor's end nonetheless._

 _"Mother, father I will see you soon," said Naruto to himself, soothing himself at the prospect on an early death._

 _Yet even in the life as miserable as the life of Naruto Uzumaki, even miracles do happen. At that very moment in time, his stomach violently grumbled and with it his means of escape._

 _He farted._

 _And based on the hysteric coughs of the grey-haired ANBU behind him, he knew that the stench was mindblowingly terrible._

 _Never had Naruto felt thankful for skipping dinner._

 _As the Silent Cat was distracted, Naruto then quickly made his way towards the demonic door and out of the forbidden library. With the windows of the midsection of the library, Naruto made a daring move on jumped with all his might out of one of the windows plummeting towards the ground._

 _To Naruto's luck, the library was not located high in the tower as he had landed gracefully without harm on the soft green grass of the tower's compound. Without delay he ran with all his might towards the Entrance of the Hokage' Tower, the gate null of shinobi guards._

 _After exiting the entrance, Naruto made a harsh left turn skidding off the ground momentarily sand particles filled the air as he almost tripped himself on the harsh surface. He continued his escapade, making his way to the crowded streets where the Summer Festival took place._

 _Even if the time was steadily approaching midnight, the people present on the roads around the village were a numerous number. Stalls selling foods, clothing and other merchandises were scattered around the usually busy street. Many of the locals wore the Yukata, a traditional ensemble worn by the People of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls. The street was especially bright, decorations of shapes of celestial objects and lanterns of different colours_

 _beautifying the already perfect atmosphere._

 _Naruto slowed down his pace amongst the crowd while making quick glances behind. It seemed that he lost the sight of his pursuer. He allowed himself a short reprieve, taking deep and fast breaths to recover while bending down slightly, his clothes soaking with sweat._

 _Boy was he going to sleep soundly tonight._

 _"Excuse me, dear child are you lost?" a feminine and calming voice said right in front of him_ , _her accent unfamiliar._

 _Looking up Naruto saw a young woman around the age of fifteen or sixteen was her age whose beauty was foreign to him. She had smooth milky brown skin, her doe shaped-eyes were a light brown in colour. Her hair was also brown like chestnuts tied in a braid which was held by a bright red Hibiscus- a flower Naruto_ _knew was not from the region. Her nose was similar to that of locals-short and round, while her lips were a blood red in colour. Embracing her elegant body with smooth curves was a piece of clothing Naruto had never laid eyes on. A black dress with pink and red flowers painted on it with a red skirt-like cloth wrapped around her waist that stretched till her ankles._

 _And thus stood still Naruto did, deeply entraced by the woman within his sight, awe showed on his face._

 _"Umm, did I said something wrong? Apologies, I not come from land this... We not use the Common Tongue a lot back home," she continued, her voice sounding less confident than before._

 _Breaking out of his trance, a blush of light rose red_ _appeared on his whisker-traced cheeks. He then rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, the teals of his blush refusing to disappear._

 _"Umm, sorry there for blanking out hehe," Naruto apologized, still rubbing the back of his head. "You're beautiful ya know... Ummm I-I mean that you're a pretty sight. Wait, no I mean-"_

 _Naruto was interrupted by the soft giggles that errupted from the girl. At this, his face turned a tomato-red, having the urge as well to bury himself six-feet beneath the ground._

 _"Hihihi, It's okay dear boy," she said, her face lighting up with a small smile on her face. "For me, it very usual is that boys look like that at me."_

 _"Where do you come from?" Naruto asked. "You don't look like you come from the Great Elemental Nations."_

 _"Ah that is because, I come not from there. I come very far south, from land called The Land of the Scattering Islands."_

 _"Hmm, never heard of it..." Naruto said, slight curiosity in his voice._

 _"Well, the world is very big, no?" she replied, the smile still present on her face._

 _"Yep, hehe. Oh yeah, the Hibiscus! I never seen it before, only in books. It looks really pretty," Naruto complimented._

 _"Oh, you can it recognize? I too think it pretty. I like it to wear with my **Kebaya,** this pretty dress._

 _(AN: Kebaya; traditional dress worn by women in the Malay Archipelago- mostly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei)_

 _"Well, I love gardening," Naruto added, his statement coated with pride. "Yeah! This is such a pretty dress! Feels very unique here. Well during the Summer Festival, all I see are Yukatas and -"_

 _Interrupting Naruto's train of conversation was a rather uncomfortable feeling sprouting in his chest, a sensation that he was being watched. As the young woman stared at Naruto, confusion present on her face at his sudden pause, Naruto then surveyed his surroundings with caution, his eyes wandering in fear._

 _And as his gaze reached the upper roofs of the tall buildings around him, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of one he dreaded at the time._

 _A grey-haired ANBU operative tilting his head slightly to his right, his cat mask emotionless yet was describing his situation so very well without words being said._

 _"Run"_

 _"Ummm,IthinkIbettergonowgotloadsofstufftosohopetoseeyoulater. Bye!" Naruto said, his words fast and incomprehensible as he dashed off in a direction out of the busy streets._

 _"Wait! I did not get your name!" the girl shouted at the running boy._

 _"Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!" the boy shouted back turning his head slightly while slowing down._

 _"Mawar Puteh! That's my name!" she responded back loudly causing others to stare at her. "But you can call me Shiro no Hana! My name in the Common Tongue. Or just Shiro!"_

 _(AN: Mawar Puteh; translates to White Rose in the Malay language)_

 _"Okay bye Shiro!" Naruto shouted back, this time without turning back._

 _Moving further out of the village market district, Naruto proceeded to take a gamble of a turn and went through the one of the_ _village's alleys which was known for it's various places to hide- while not being the most hygenic of hiding spots, the dumpsters were the best places to 'disappear' from bullies._

 _Going home was not an option for Naruto, at all. Sure his apartment was a safe zone from ANBU-members from entering without a valid reason or permit- something about the prevention act against ANBU-operatives from entering the private properties of Konohagakure's citizens._

 _Then again, the Silent Cat had every reason to raid his apartment._

 _The boy was literally commiting treason after all._

 _Turning his head up, he then witnessed the magnificent yet terrible sight of the Silent Cat jumping over buildings and their ledges with such grace and speed that Naruto again could not help but admire the ANBU-operative. With the sky clear of clouds and the moon in it's full phase, a light blue was the colour of it's rings and a pure white was the colour of it's surface. He looked to be a figure of shadow, a tragic protaganist in a novel of sorts. Behind him was the painting of eternal stars, the darkness of space was it's canvas._

 _Altogether was an image so pure and yet so tainted, bittersweet was it's nature, such beauty so so painted._

 _And as Naruto reached the end of the alley, there was a small park, in it's centre was a fountain with the the statue of the Yondaime built in his memory. The park itself was a hidden grove in the middle of a city-like village which was Konohagakure. The flowers growing in the park used to be void of life, well until the boy found this particular spot when he was seven after being chased by some villagers and turned it into his personal garden._

 _The best part was that the presence of passerbys was nearly null in number. To Uzumaki Naruto, the park was not only a safe haven but a place to recollect his thoughts and contemplate his past, present and future._

 _And to think that this very place might be where he shall meet his end._

 _Oh the irony!_

 _And as the boy collapsed on the ground; on his knees nonetheless!, a flickering entity appeared right in front of him and stood his ground. The boy who was gasping for air at the moment was standing his ground as well, his eyes staring at the white lilies he planted not long ago._

 _"White lillies, white lilies," he mumbled to himself, his voice inaudible._

 _He was prepared for it._

 _At least his last memories were of a place he called home._

 _Just a boy among the flowers, swift would be his end._

 _He then closed his eyes._

 _Waiting._

 _Waiting._

 _Waiting._

 _Nothing?_

 _"Wait... What?" Naruto said, daring himself to open his eyes._

 _And contrary to his expectations of a katana in between his eyes, there it was a scroll right in front of him, offered to him by none other than the Silent Cat._

 _Without questioning it, Naruto took the scroll which most probably fell from his pockets while he was escaping. And thus the Silent Cat flickered away from his sight now leaving a very confused boy behind._

 _And then he read the title._

 _Introductions to the Fundamentals of Fūinjutsu: The Ancient Sealing Techniques of Takigakure (Common Tongue First Edition)_

 _At first he was disappointed._

 _Then after that he was not anymore._

 _For this was the moment that will change his life forever._

 _And thus starts the journey of the boy in the art of Fūinjutsu..._

 _..._

"It was Naruto sensei! No one would be stupid enough to prank Ino except him!" a random student shouted.

"Yeah! Look at him laughing there. He's the one," accused another student, pointing her finger at him

"But you guys have no proof!" interjected the blond, his voice calm and calculated. "Choji and Kiba were laughing too. Why am I the only one accused? I'm just sitting here paying attention at Iruka-sensei's history lessons, not that I have enough time to temper with Ino's scroll," Naruto added to his defense while shrugging his shoulders.

The blond was very confident in his case indeed. A smirk appeared on his face.

"Naruto, no break for you today! Also you're not allowed to leave today until you clean up this **mess**!" Iruka said, his face red, anger very obvious in his voice. "Also Ino you can go to the restroom and-"

"B-but Iruka-sensei!" Naruto interrupted, stuttering at some words. "There's no proof it was me. I-"

"Enough Naruto! I've taught you for two years now and I know enough that it was you who set that paint bomb on Ino!" stated Iruka. "As I was saying..."

Naruto's mood dropped almost immediately at what Iruka-sensei said to him. Sure, he _did_ set up the paint bomb on that snobbish Yamanaka, but he planned it so well that the Fūinjutsu markings would disappear after the explosion.

His other classmates too enjoyed pranking- some of them would find the opportunity to intentionally hurt and say it was just prank- but they always get a slap on the wrist if they were caught by the instructors.

Why was it only him that would receive the punishment?

As silent tears threatened to escape the boy's bright blue eyes, a realization that he had already acknowledged in the past dawned upon him.

He would forever be the village pariah.


	3. Chapter 3 - An Uchiha's Tale

Winter winds, cold and dry.

From the north, there in it's east and there in it's west, blew the mighty gales to the once warm nations of the south, bringing with it ice and snow as dark clouds reign freely above the great lands below.

The winter brought forth was earlier than norm, in the month of October, on it's fifth; ice crystals do form. Snowflakes that fell came in different shapes and sizes, each with a pattern that came with surprises. Never shall one be equal to the other, never shall one be same as the other.

As the forest animals lie awake, making their final preperations for a slumber lasting till the birth of flower's bloom, the citizens of Konohagakure carried on with their routine performing usual business even if the weather was uncomfortably cool.

And on the snow-covered streets were children young in age playing amongst themselves disregarding the chill; some were just wearing their normal attire with nothing but a scarf covering their necks to avoid the cold feel. Snowballs were thrown high up in the sky as the children aim for each other, some were even on the soft linen ground making snow angels while enjoying the weather.

Chasing, jumping, running with might, the laughter of children was both loud yet light. Such were the lives of children through day and night, their souls pure their happiness their right.

And thus the spirit of winter could be felt in the air, however sadly not many could understand and not many would care. For to those who claimed adulthood among themselves they would share, that indeed sadly winter was but a terrible affair.

Especially since the current one this year was much more colder and unforgiving than the last.

Then again not everyone had said views regarding the season.

"That would be 150 Ryo altogether Uchiha-san," said the shopkeeper, a small old lady who had a rather hunched back.

"Here you are Saito-san," the Uchiha replied, her voice respectful yet firm.

"Thank you very much," the old lady said in return as she took the money and placed it in the register, a small smile appearing on her face. "But are you sure these are enough? Knowing the young master surely he would eat more especially in this winter," she continued, her tone carrying slight curiosity.

"Well unfortunately Sasuke-kun had caught a rather bad case of the flu so he kinda lost his appetite for the time being. I'm hoping that the tomato soup I'm gonna make is finally enough to make him eat," answered the Uchiha, an obvious worry present in her voice.

"Of course," said Saito as she chuckled a bit, "it is the boy's favourite food."

"Sasuke-kun will eat anything as long as there are tomatoes in them," said the female Uchiha her eyes rolling, a glint of playfulness in them.

"Indeed! I pray for the boy's health of course Uchiha-san. May the Almighty cure him of his illness."

"Thank you Saito-san, your well wishes and prayers are very much appreciated!" the female Uchiha replied back in her usual chirpy tone, bowing a small curtsy to the store owner before heading towards the door out.

"Wait young lady! I believe you've forgotten something," Saito said, halting the young female Uchiha from exiting the store.

With her ears perked, she turned her back around wondering what she had left behind in the store. Tilting her head slightly to the right, a rather confused yet cute look fell on her face as she faced back the old lady. A sudden realization then strucked the mind of the young Uchiha as her prior confusion was now replaced by sheer embarassment.

On the register counter was a brown paper bag containing her recently bought groceries.

"Oh, yes! Thank you Saito-san," she exclaimed, her cheeks turning a slight shade of red like the tomatoes she bought. She then quickly made her way back into the store and took her groceries as she apologized to old lady Saito for her forgetfulness. This earned her a hearty laugh from the resident store owner who enjoyed the sight of the flustered young Uchiha in front of her.

Finally making her way out of the store, the young lady then continued to open the door seperating the inside from the out as cold biting winds greeted her frivolously, exhilarating her senses to one of pure ecstasy. She was wearing a full winter ensemble- white winter coat that stretched above her ankles, tight grey jeans complimenting her rather long legs, light brown leather boots covered her petite feet while wrapped around her neck was a white coloured scarf with the Uchiha crest embroidered on it. As her whole body was clothed to preserve her of warmth, her straight hair was let loose falling beyond her shoulders; hazel brown was it's colour. She took pride in the shade of her hair for it was a physical remnant of her beloved father's lineage upon her for she was alike to her mother in both face and figure.

The north-eastern market district also known as 'The Spice Market' was one of the nine market districts present in Konohagakure. Thus business taking place here consisted mostly of the selling of live-stock, green produce and it's name sake spice; both local and foreign. Six times a week the market district would be open except on the fifth day, Friday it would be closed.

Unlike the other buildings in the city-like village which followed a more oriental design, The Spice Market was built according to the architectual principles of the Land of Wind, hence domes and minarets were a common sight in these parts. Established immediately after the birth of Konohagakure, The Spice Market was an area inhabited by the people of the Land of Wind who were originally nomadic tribes wandering the eastern part of Wind Nation that decided to settle permanently in the village by invitation of the Shodaime Hokage. Four fifths of the population makeup of the area are third and fourth generation citizens with _بنو رياحي_ ancestry.

(AN: _بنو رياحي_ \- pronounced Banū Riyāhhi, meaning children of wind in the Arabic language)

Thus if one were to take a trip down the streets of the market, the smells of exotic foods and the sounds of chatter in a guttural language would transport them immediately to the grand bazaars of the Wind Kings spread across their lands; as if they were really there in the first place.

Such was the case of the young Uchiha as she walked through the shaded part of the district- a street built with walkways with roofs, relishing the breathtaking atmosphere of The Spice Market. And at that moment as the rays of the evening sun penetrated the thick clouds above, colourful reflections of flowers and geometrical shapes appeared on the sand-like pavements of the ground for along the road were buildings with painted mosaic glass which only shone it's patterns when there was sufficient sunlight as well as taking form only in the early mornings and late evenings.

Truly, it was undeniable that The Spice Market was one of Konohagakure's magnificent wonders!

Up in the horizon was the sun, it's glorious form was about to set indicating the dawn of twilight and the eve of night, the time merely being 4.15 p.m. Even if daylight was coming to an end, the streets were still flooded with people, children and adults alike scouting and shopping for items that were on sale having discounts that were too good to resist.

In two days, the three day celebration of the Kyuubi's defeat by the Yondaime was about to be held. Thus it was not surprising for businesses and corperations to take the timely opportunity to make lucrative sales during the pre and post period of this holiday.

In terms of layman economics, festivals are a driving force for an increase in local economy as spending power is at it's most highest during these times. In other words, with a healthy circulation of both goods and currency, Konohagakure will remain a strong economic and regional powerhouse which in turn lead to an influx of D-ranked and C-ranked missions for the shinobi population to do.

As she made her way through the sea of shoppers on her way out of the market, she caught scent of hot roasted chestnuts coming from a small stall by the side of the market's entrance. Tempted by the strong burning aroma of said chestnuts that filled the air, she walked towards the stall and stood behind a rather long queue of people that had a similar idea with regards to the yummy winter snack. Already the young Uchiha was imagining herself back at home wrapped in thick blankets while eating those chestnuts by the fireplace in her living room, a glass of warm hot cocoa in her right hand.

Such was how she wanted to spend the remaining part of her evening before heading off to the kitchens to cook.

She was just about to step in front of the line to make her purchase until suddenly her ears picked up the sound of a child desperately crying for help nearby. Disregarding the fact that she had waited ten minutes queueing, she immediately dashed to the source of the crying as a slight feeling of worry was present in her chest.

"-pl-please some-somebody help! My little sister sh-she's not waking up... Please!"

On the side of an empty shoplot outside the market area were two children dressed in ragged clothes while their little bodies were covered by a stitched blanket that had seen better days. The boy, the one who shouted for help was desperately trying to wake his little sister up as the child that looked no more than six years old remained still and uncounscious.

The Uchiha watched as pedestrians walked past the pair of children deliberately ignoring the boy's heartfelt plies for help. Their actions brought forth anger to the girl whose heart was saddened by the state of the kids. Did not the tearful shouts of the boy touched the humanitarian side of the passerby as they turned a blind eye towards their suffering? What was it that was so important to them that they would not even spare a glance at the children?

Their passive mistreatment of them was akin to a certain level of cruelty typical amongst the privileged.

To not care about anyone but themselves.

As she approached them closely, she took a good look at the pair and much to her surprise trinkles of tears threatened to escape her eyes. The sight was heartwrenching. The boy's cheekbones looked way too apparent, black dirt covered half of their faces. Underneath makeshift clothes she noticed that their bodies lacked any sort of fat associated with children at their age, muscle included. The colour of their hair was an unhealthy platinum blonde- the boy's hair was too long for a typical gaki his age and her sister's was too long and disheveled- yet she knew that the current pale was once as yellow as the morning sun. What strucked her emotions the most was the boy's eyes, light grey in colour yet in those orbs that once held happiness and light now carried a haunting look of pain and helplessness.

A look she knew all too well.

The boy was shivering, his back and neck exposed to the winter chills but that did not stop him from giving up most of the blanket to cover his uncounscious sister. Warm tears were flowing non-stop down his cheeks, the redness of them obvious for his skin was a ghostly pale white. His pleas for help meant nothing to those around him, did he not begged pathetically hard enough? His only family member was dying in his arms and he has not the strength to carry her to the hospital. All he could do was hope and pray silently in his heart for a miracle to happen.

Now snapped out of her daze, the young Uchiha then ran quickly towards the pair surprising the crying boy who was momentarilly shocked at her sudden appearance. Without warning, she placed her right hand on the little girl's forehead after removing her leather glove to check her body temperature. Her body was a deathly cold lacking the usual warmth, her breaths became shorter and shorter each passing time. Life was slowly seething out from girl. She needed to go to a hospital. Immediately.

"She's suffering from hypothermia," said the Uchiha, slight worry escaping her voice as she kept her emotions in check. "We need to get to the hospital."

Placing the paper bag with her groceries on the ground next to the boy, she then took his little sister from his embrace and carried the girl using her left arm as a support. The boy still teary eyed, had not the will to question the stranger who just grabbed his little sister away from him, his brotherly instincts kicking in instantaneously. His mind was momentarily blank for awhile until his grey eyes settled upon the beautiful young lady in front of him gesturing him to follow suit.

With all his might, he forced his tiny body up in an attempt to stand but his legs were acting out against him as they refused to obey him to move properly at all. The boy experienced slight vertigo rising up, his legs were wobbly while his mind tired. Both he and his sister have not eaten a decent meal for three days now as they ate only thrown away left overs from trash cans outside restaurants. He tried stealing from a stall once but that incident lead to him getting beaten by the owner hard, the bruises on his upper eye and left abdomen still present to be seen.

As he felt a gentle pull on his right arm allowing him to be on his feet with ease, he then looked up to the face of the stranger, one full of kindness eyeing him with utmost concern. It's been a long time indeed, thought the boy that he was regarded with care. A small honest smile had formed where frowns have been often more as he relished as much as he could the attention given to him and his sister.

And thus a worry filled his little heart once more, speaking of possibilities he did not want to accept forevermore.

He could not help but cry at the thought.

Noticing the unspoken despair on the child's face, the Uchiha wanted no more than to calm the boy down, telling him everything was alright. Yet, the hopelessness and tension that hung on his shoulders was too much to bear. No child should experience the tragic loss of loved ones at such a tender age.

Then again, what has been written by the laws of reality could not be easily undone. Indeed, the threads of fate is an entity far too unknown for mortals to comprehend or understand.

Acting on impulse, the Uchiha took hold of the crying boy with her remaining free arm and piggy-bagged him on his shoulders. It was very obvious that she was extremely worried about the current situation at hand. Sweat was beginning to form on her forehead disregarding the fact that the temperature was below freezing point. The little girl's chest was barely moving at all as the weather was not helping her condition. She tried putting herself into her usual mission mode persona but her mind was going blank due to stress.

She did not want this innocent child to die.

And she was not going to allow that to happen anyway.

With that thought in mind, she then made her way swiftly on the snowy streets of Konohagakure pushing herself through the crowd of people not caring at the odd looks they gave her. On second thought, maybe she was slightly annoyed at being the centre of attention again thus she body-flickered herself onto the roofs to avoid being stared at. She was rather thankful for the weight seals given to her by Might Guy which were added to her training regiment last year as her speed at the moment was -by far not exagerrately, twice as fast as she was before. She considered going to a clinic nearby but after making prior observations on the severity of the hypothermia, the hospital was the best option.

Based on her geographical knowledge of the village's outlook, Konohagakure's General Hospital stood three kilometres south-east of the Spice Market. At her current pace, she would probably reach there in ten to fifteen minutes. Anywhere within the borders of the village, it is imperative for her to know how far she was from the hospital at any given time. This was due to it being a requirement for medical ninjas and their potential candidates to be prepared at all times if an emergency was to occur that could not be handled by them outside the confinements of the hospital.

And she knew better than to make risky decisions if a much safer option was ever available.

Such was unspoken rule number four which all medic-nins abide by.

As she ran faster and jumped higher towards her destination she could feel the sharp grips of uncut nails grabbing onto her neck that would surely leave a few red marks on her skin. The boy who remained silent throughout the whole trip was actually scared beyond his wits to really say something. His first reaction was to scream when he was suddenly teleported on top of the roofs of buildings but he had used up all of his remaining strength moments ago to call for help. Now, he was moving at speeds that he never knew was humanly possible to naturally achieve while his stomach was protesting at the prospect. He wanted to vomit so badly but he needed to hold it in until they stopped. He did not want to thank the lady who was trying to save his little sister by barfing on her.

When the hospital was within sight of the Uchiha, she then took a few long jumps to decrease her momentum and body-flickered in front of the entrance of the hospital. Without a second wasted, she immediately barged into the hospital through the automatic sliding doors and headed straight away towards the reception desk with the boy still hanging onto her back. Looking at the girl in her arms, she knew her act of kindness may have probably saved a life. She could already imagine had she not been there in the first place, this child may have probably been gone from the world in an hour or so. Thus she could not fathom the egoistic nature of the passing residents that abandonned their pleas in a time of need; was it so difficult for them to land a hand?

She knew and understood not the hearts of the wicked who hate on the poor and orphans without purpose.

The receptionist who was currently reading an interesting article regarding a scandal between a high-profile artist and a nobleman's daughter on a tabloid magazine was brought back to reality rather shockingly as she heard the loud clattering of shoes against marble floors from the entrance. The only running similar to that within the hospital compound were either in the emergency wing or the training grounds north-west of the building. After all she was ever comfortable in her current post as a welcoming receptionist for visitors, hence why she expected the individual running in the hallways to be a mere child that needed a scolding or two and not a young lady carrying an unconscious child in her arms.

Realizing her mistake for entering the wrong part of the building, the Uchiha could not help but mentally berate herself for such an amature display of action. She was just about to finish her four year apprentice program under Konoha's medical institution and here she was making a rookie move. Any sort of life threatening medical complication that required immediate attention from the hospital must be designated to the red zone of the emergency wing in order for diagnosis and suitable treatment to be performed on the patient. She knew she was not going to get a clean record out of this- she was always an over-achiever of some sorts- and she hated it.

But none of that mattered now, the little girl needed to get to the emergency wing as soon as possible.

"No time to explain!" shouted the Uchiha before the receptionist could ask questions. "She's suffering from severe hypothermia and I need you to take this boy to the pediatric wing to check on him. Is Satoshi-san in today?"

The receptionist merely nodded and complied to the Uchiha's orders even if her shift was about to end. She then watched her put down the obviously malnourished boy gently on a waiting chair as her younger colleague proceeded to run with the little girl towards the emergency wing. Now in an immobile position the boy then bent down and vomitted pale yellow chunks on the floor while trying his best to not faint. He needed to be strong and awake for his younger sister and he would do his best to remain conscious throughout this whole ordeal.

But nevertheless as he was guided by the receptionist to the pediatric wing, the exhaustion and stress that he carried for the past three months had strucked him hard and so on his knees the boy dropped and if not for the quick reaction of the receptionist he would have fell head on upon the cold solid marble ground.

He could finally rest properly for once.

Let the adults handle it, his sister was currently in safe hands.

And thus he embraced the darkness that he had long yearned for, one which was denied to him by dire circumstances around him. The peace of sleep, a sensation he had almost forgotten was available to him once more.

Why was not the boy worried for his sister if the possibility of her passing was undeniably inevitable?

Because he trusted the judgement of an angel sent to him by the One Almighty that everything was going to be alright.

An angel who carried him and his sister to the hospital, her heart one of kindness and light.

For once throughout his trials and tribulations he could safely say that He has not abandonned him and sister at all.

After all who was he but a young ten year old boy, lost amongst the worlds so vunerable to fall?

...

A sigh of relief could be heard coming from the young Uchiha. After three gruesome hours in which the first was almost a close call, she could finally slump her shoulders limply and relax. The little girl's condition -whom the young lady had not figured out her name yet, was stable in the end. Although she was still knocked out she would probably be awake earliest by tomorrow morning.

Today was undoubtedly a slow day at the hospital which was a rare feat by itself for a village built upon the foundations of warriorhood. Many of the hospital staff have taken designated leaves-by turn of course, in order to spend the festival and weekends with friends and family causing the hospital to be rather empty than it usually was. Thus the ones who remained were either too dedicated to their jobs to actually apply for holiday or were unfortunate enough to see their names written on the duty roster. Either way with the lives of the citizens of the village at stake it was imperative for the hospital to have enough staff at hand.

Always.

At the instance when the Uchiha entered the emergency wing carrying her uncounscious patient with a panic stricken face the staff on hold immediately went into action, each of them specifically trained to handle these types of situations. Lead by a senior doctor, the four men team including the Uchiha rolled the girl on a mobile bed and brought her to the red zone section of the emergency wing to begin treatment. Like every patient that went through these halls, the medical team performed their duties solemnly upon them to the best of their ability. Nothing less by an institution founded by Mito Senju, the wife of the Shodaime Hokage known for her prowess in the healing arts.

And thus with extreme care and vigilance a life was saved tonight. Such was a success for those who swore the oath of healers. Indeed for what equates a human soul in price except to their Master if not nothing? And yet the ones who succumb themselves to materialistic hedonism understand not said facts and figures for they acknowledge that life is but pleasure and play; to follow their pure desires, both rational and animalistic.

The Uchiha was currently tapping her right foot whilst crossing her arms as she waited for the lift to arrive on her floor. With the tension gone now released from her shoulders, she needed a short break in her small 'office'- more like a broom closet to be honest- to rejuvenate herself before confronting the older of the pair of siblings. A healer's duty was to always treat others indiscriminately if it meant saving them from life threatening conditions and injuries within their restricted abilities. Hence the policy 'Help First, Questions Later' was universally accepted by the medical community unless the questions were to involve the patient's condition in the first place.

 _Ting_

A small tinkling sound of a bell alerted the Uchiha from her thoughts as the lift door opened revealing the shiny looking insides of the elevator. The lift, one among the rest scattered around the hospital was a newly welcomed addition-about a year ago- to the medical institution. The company which produced the elevators was a foreign one hailing from The Land of Iron in the industrial capital of _Demirin Şehrisi_. However due to it being a joint venture between Tetsu no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, it was agreed upon that forty-nine percent of its share offers should be bought by those from Fire Country. Thus it is noted that various notable families in the Land of Fire took said opportunity to gain richess and expand their influence in the business world- the largest shareholder coming from Konohagakure with twenty-eight percent owned by the Hyuuga.

(AN: _Demirin Şehrisi_ \- pronounced Demirin Shehrisi meaning City of Iron in Turkish)

Movement up and down the building was now much more convenient than before especially when transporting patients to their respective wards. There was once a time when the _Body Flicker Technique_ was allowed to be used to bring patients who needed immediate treatment around the hospital compound but such was as last resort due to the fact that patients may receive the _Flinching Effect_ \- an aftereffect which may cause newly recovered wounds to open- unless said transporter was an expert at chakra control.

Why was this even a problem if medical ninjutsus such as the _Mystical Palm Technique_ -a technique to speed up the natural recovery of a human body- existed?

Because a medical practioner must know his or her limits. It is imperative for healers to consider factors such as internal bleeding and the shock that the _Flinching Effect_ does to a damaged chakra system- _Tenketsus_ responsible for healing the body from injuries may alter their chakra path to a different location within the body system thus decreasing the recovary rate to a near halt. The possibilty of foreign chakra entering the patients chakra system due to the result of excess chakra released during the execution of the Shunshin technique was relatively high as well which may lead to chakra poisioning.

Technological developments even if impractical to the common ninja was ever welcome nonetheless.

The Uchiha was one of those who welcomed convenience. Entering the elevator she then pressed the number 4 as the lift doors began closing. Sure she could use the stairs like any other in her profession but the reality was not the fact that a flight of steps was nothing compared to what she would go through during a mission but it was just so much easier for her!

Could you blame ninja for being lazy this once?

Arriving at the floor of her destination, she immediately went straight ahead to her 'office' and walked through white painted halls which was eerily silent for the night. The door of her room had no keyhole in it so instead all she had to do was touch the knob of the door and it will automatically open.

As mentioned earlier before, her room was a small one able to fit only around five people. After turning on the light switch, she was greeted to the sight of her 'consultation office'.

Books and files neatly arranged on her desk a white desk phone at the side, an oak black bookshelf with all her medical tomes and references placed, charts and studies sticked on her walls with an occasional indoor plant right in the corner; such was the typical office setting for every working individual in a bureau. Thankfully, she took the liberty to clean up her little space before she left for the three day holiday which was often in a mess if she had written assignments to do. Dragging the rolling chair out of her desk, she settled comfortably on her makeshift throne and closed her eyes momentarily, a short nap perhaps.

As her mind drifted to the thought of her most recent patient, a noticeable frown appeared on her face. Opening her eyes, she then took a small leather-bonded book from one of drawers and place it gently on her desk. Reading the book always calmed her nerves if she was feeling down or lost.

 _Words for the Faithful_

 _(Unknown)_

Based on the previous council meeting she attended- she was acting as Sasuke-kun's proxy of course- there was a major civil war occuring within Cha no Kuni and the damage was to an extent that the Fire Daimyo had decreed an order for the royal army as well as Konogakure's shinobi to be on high alert by the borders facing the North-West. The result of that civil war was that an influx of refugees from Tea Country had fled said mountanious lands towards Hi no Kuni. It was estimated that the number of refugees was to be around 45,000 to 87,000 spread across the land.

After a two week summit with the heads of state and important dignitaries in the capital city of Hi no Kuni, it was confirmed by Hokage-sama that Konohagakure was to accept 7,500 of these refugees in exchange for less taxation rates on the village this year and the following two to which after much consideration was agreed by the Hokage . The propect of integrating said citizens to the village especially to those who possess prowess in the shinobi arts as well as Kekkai Genkai not available in Konohagakure was all so tempting that a certain Council Elder made his contempt known by exercising a few of his autonomous 'powers' to ensure that this 'pet project' was a success.

There was not a man in this village she loathed more than Danzo Shimura.

On the other note, the sudden presence of Tea Country refugees in the village was a dividing topic amongst the local community. Some were supportive of the notion and dedicated themselves to helping their new neighbours as much as they can. The rest which made the majority of the common folk- not considering the shinobi population- were wary of these foreigners such that malpractice and mistreatment was a common occurance, a natural disposition due to unavoidable xenophobic tendencies.

It was undeniable that Konohagakure was a very large village. With an area of aproximately 495 square kilometres, the main village being around 160 square kilometres while the unoccupied forests and mountainous areas consisting of the rest, it was the size of a mini-state in Fire Country. The current population was around 97,650 with 77 percent active shinobi or having had underwent ninja training before. However when compared to that of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, the amount of citizens there was twice as much of what they have here.

Thus a boost in population would help the village indeed.

At the moment, most of the refugees that arrived a month ago were staying in refugee camps located in the western part of the village by the Great Forest. They were accomadated and treated rather considerately by the village courtesy of Hokage-sama. Their provisions were also generously sponsored by the Fire Daimyo hence the village did not have to commit their funds for the upkeep of their living expenditures.

This did not mean that everyone was provided with assistance. The two children she rescued were proof that no matter how we try to fight for peace, suffering and pain shall always exist and no mortal being can change the tides of fate unless willed upon them the intention.

She sighed and looked at her book once more. Even if she appeared not to be, but the Uchiha was a rather religious individual. Yet the concept of traditional folk religions interests her not. Sure there existed beings that had power so worthy of worship that they are named gods but what is a god if not All-Powerful beyond compare? In history 'twas dictated that these gods were defeated and sent to their deaths by mere men who gained the means to fight them thus it was undeniable that these gods were infallible.

It was often believed that the Uchiha Clan descended directly from the line of the Sage of Six Paths - a mere myth it was. When she was younger, she had read many books regarding the legend to which fascinated her till this day. He was said to posess the famed Rinnegan on both eyes- a dojutsu that allows one to have control over powers meant for deities.

Yet in all the stories surrounding his very being, never had he claimed greatness for his works and teachings; pride null from his words. Nobody knew where exactly he came from but his influence on society was ever-rooted- both in manner and morals.

She recalled a story she heard from her late grandmother.

...

 _"Obaa-chan! Obaa-chan~!" shouted a little girl of five years, her chestnut coloured hair tied with pretty pink ribbons._

 _"Mimi what did I tell you about shouting this late at night?" an old and worn voice said her tone gentle yet firm._

 _"Umm... hehe," the little girl chuckled in embarrasement a sheepish smile appeared on her face. "I'm sorry Obaa-chan but I'm just sooo excited to go to bed that's all."_

 _Her chapped lips perked at the sight of her granddaughter begging her to follow the young child to her room. Yumi Uchiha was at an age where life did not matter except to bring love and happiness to the younger generation. She had lived through times of war and peace as she herself had participated in two of the Great Shinobi Wars._

 _When she had her first child, a wonderful baby girl who carried the features of a pureblooded Uchiha- pale skin, raven-black tufts of hair and thin eyebrows, she knew that her decision to halt her shinobi career was inevitable, evermore since the demise of her dear husband at the hands of an Iwa missing-nin during an escort mission five months into her pregnancy._

 _Her choice of course was challenged heavily by the Uchiha Council. She was one of four from the great clan currently living to possess the Mangekyou Sharingan- a feat although amazing was ever haunting even if the memory from gaining such power was fading away as time passes by. The Elders of the Noble Council were naturally outraged at her withdrawal from the shinobi ranks and considered it an act of insubordination to the clan._

 _She was never regarded highly by the premiership of the clan. Unlike the Hyuuga which practiced outright discrimination of their clansmen with the execution of the Caged-Bird Seal, the Uchiha were more subtle with their methods. The Uchiha were divided into 14 subsclans based on the names of the 14 founders who formed the systems and traditions practiced by the Uchiha stretching before the advent of Konohagakure and The Warring Clans Era; generations upon generations ago ._

 _In hindsight, there was no clear indication to determine the aristocratic rights of a subclan against one another. Those like Kagami Uchiha, born from the line of Hideki Uchiha- the second founder by succession, were considered to be of high rank in the clan and would be given priorities in council meetings especially with regards to their opinions on certain matters due to their achievements in their respective fields. Logically, there would be minimal problem with discrimination within the clan if such methods of selection were implimented instead of a hierarchy complex._

 _However said approach no matter how fair was merely wishful thinking- the natural tendency for man to rule against each other was unavoidable. There existed a 15th subclan not known by the general public which Yumi Uchiha and her granddaughter belonged to, a subclan that the Uchiha had mute enmity for despite being the catalyst for the founding of Konohagakure._

 _The descendants of_ _Isao Uchiha, the grandfather of Madara Uchiha._

 _Yumi was 17 years younger than Madara and was his first cousin due to the relation between her mother and Madara's father Tajima. Isao Uchiha originally belonged to the Izuna subclan, the fourth founder by sucession and was a decorated shinobi for his efforts and victories against hostile clans during the Warring States Era. Because of that, he was nominated as the Clan Head by the council and his family's rule continued on until his grandson Madara._

 _Madara continued the legacy of his grandfather and fought with bravado against the Senju to which he was almost close to winning. The Senju and Uchiha had a knife at each other's throats, both ready to slaughter the other at the cost of their own lives. Both Madara and Hashirama were considered to be the strongest shinobi in Hi no Kuni at their time as their people viewed them as the champions of their clansmen pride. No clan across the Land of Fire could rival their prowess except the Hyuuga in the northern region, the Uzumaki in the south-east and the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi alliance in the central part of the country._

 _It was recorded that during the height of the war, Madara and Hashirama declared a truce which lead to the unification of both clans under the banner of a shinobi village. A time of peace and prosperity was achieved which before that very moment was a mere wish_ _too good to be true. In the first two years of the establishment shinobi clans around Fire Country flocked like cattle towards the new regional powerhouse in order to seek protection and welfare for themselves which further strengthened the new village._

 _With the Daimyo's blessing, Konohagakure was officially recognized as an autonomous administration of Hi no Kuni in which the leader of said government had absolute power regarding its affairs without inteference from the royal court in exchange for financial and unwavering loyalty to the throne._

 _All was well for a moment in time, what was yearned so long finally came to be. In the midst of celebration and ethereal delite, to which the hearts of men yielded to it so, there was one who felt unease with his might, viewing all who opposed him as a foe. The seeds of animonity so long dormant and still, have finally awoken it's desire to kill. Its grasp over his mind slowly corrupting his soul, now broken it was, being out of control._

 _Betrayal, traitorous betrayal felt he, the man who made their ambitions turn to reality. Why_ _was he not sought for by the people like his rival? Why was he regarded as nothing more than a pawn in a game played by heros and savoirs? Was he not there for his own people, why had they not supported him when he needed it most?_

 _Was their dream to rule together merely as such; a dream?_

 _And thus in the third year of Hashirama Senju's rule, Madara Uchiha commited the crime of treason to which was paid in full. All accounts of the last battle between them was sealed up away but Yumi knew the truth even if she was not there that day._

 _She was just seven years old when the village demanded blood for his crimes to which her noble house was torn apart. Distrust was prevalent amongst the villagers towards the Uchiha leading to restrictions hung against them as well as being placed under constant surveillance by the newly formed ANBU. Their credibility as an elite clan equal to the Senju and Hyuuga was tarnished very deeply prior to the First Shinobi War to such a point that being called 'an Uchiha' was a derogatory insult._

 _Ostracized and banished from promenance,_

 _t_ _he once proud members of House Isao from the line of Izuna were now living like pariahs that swept dirt off the ground. Due to the actions of ones selfish desires, the innocent suffered collectively. Their properties were seized; land, cattle, farms, family heirlooms leaving Yumi's family with nothing but the clothes on their back. The Village Council backed by Twelve of Forteen Elders of the Noble Council of Uchiha proposed to strip them off completely of their family name and banish them to a mining colony up north where they will reside under the watchful eye of the ANBU._

 _Fortunately however, their efforts bore no fruit as Hashirama Senju vehemently rejected such cruel methods of punishment against a people who did no wrong against Konohagakure but were unfortunate enough to be related to the infamous renegade. It was said that the killing intent he released when the council disputed said issue with him could be felt by half the village as well as causing a few council members to faint due to its intensity with one almost having had a cardiac arrest. The Shodaime Hokage decreed that the children of Isao were to be left to their own devices and their family titles and assets returned._

 _With the last say belonging to the highest power of the village, all forms of punishment against Yumi's family ceased to b_ _e, or so it seemed. While the other villagers obeyed the Hokage's orders , the Uchiha had not completely. The Uchiha did allow them back into their clan's compound but their homes were pushed to the outskirts of the area seperating them from their other clansmen. They were never invited to any form of festivities celebrated by the Uchiha and they had no say in their clan's council.Yumi was even a victim of severe bullying as the friends she once knew who flaunt over her for being the cousin of the Clanhead hurt her physically and mentally._

 _As the First Shinobi War approaches, the Elders found a particular way to eliminate the children of Isao without any repurcussions from their part- march them to their deaths by sending them to missions considered to be suicidal._

 _From 67 members, the number dwindled to little more than 6, the oldest being Yumi at the age of thirteen. They tried sending her to one of those missions to finally end Madara's taint on the clan but no one expected her to succeed. No one. She even gained a Mangekyou Sharingan in the process._

 _The two houses who did not participate in any of these merciless acts were the House Hideki the second founder and House Mori the seventh founder by sucession. Kagami Uchiha was her only friend at the time and they grew up to be very close like siblings, she being the younger sister and he the older brother. She had even found the love of her life in his family marrying his youngest brother Hirokazu who was 13 years younger than her. They took their vows when she was 29 and he 16 having had a wonderful four years together before his demise in Rock Country._

 _To punish her for her insubordination, the Elders had banished her from the compound_ _t_ _o the unwilingness of her in-laws. She and her descendents were persona non grata to the clan however were allowed to keep the family name as a 'parting gift' for Yumi's efforts and achievements in the past._

 _They called it an 'act of mercy' because there was nothing more noble in the eyes of the shinobi world than the Uchiha name._

 _She hated them for it but at the same time was eternally grateful for this misfortune. It gave her daughter a chance to live a childhood unlike hers_ _away from the hateful eyes of her clansmen. To live a life free of making small mistakes that may cost the life of her famialial loved ones. To not be put under pressure by the clan's council that demanded 'perfection' to appease the sins of her forefathers._

 _She then decided after he departure from the Uchiha compound to persue her life long dream when she was younger before becoming a ninja- to learn the discipline of the seamstress and enter the civillian fashion world._

 _And happy was she for years to come to witness her daughter Mitsumi Uchiha grow right in front of her eyes as well as being a huge success as a fashion designer known throughout Hi no Kuni. She looked exactly how Yumi was at her age with the exception of her eyes which followed her father's. It was an established fact that Uchiha women tend to follow their mother in terms of physical appearance and the sons would often take their mother's soft features but their father's unruly hair. There was no in between when it came to the Uchiha male hair; either it was a godsend or made a porcupine look good._

 _She was so like her mother when it came to the shinobi arts- a prodigy but was_ _in likeness to her father in terms of attitude; aloof but outspoken. So being around her as a child- a time when honesty was the best policy was rather... flustering? The girl had truly broken an elder noblewoman's heart- who ran out of the store crying surprisingly when she asked her opinion of a dress she was wearing if it made her look younger. One can imagine the emotionless eyes of a little girl saying the flaws of others in a monotonous voice to which sounds like the absolute truth; painful._

 _In the end her precious yet stoic child flourished into a very beautiful young lady. As she reached the golden age of 18, men of all ages far and wide, from the common the shinobi to young handsome lords of Snow Country offered themselves up for marriage to Isao's heir_ _which she declined with the most straight of faces. Those who took the challenge however either had their self-esteem destroyed or had been stuck in the hospital for two weeks._

 _She was so unsympathetic and indifferent most of the time- except to the ones she cares about of course. Yet her love could be felt in her actions and Yumi was one of only few others to see more than the emotionless girl that she was._

 _For Mitsumi to fall in love with an overly emotional boy who possesed twice the amount of enthuatism that an average person had, one who was smiling even in the face of adversity, an expert at beating around the bush as well as an ultimate sweet talker; some would call it irony._

 _And ironic it was._

 _A clanless orphan who came to Konohagakure on foot from Wind Country when he was 10 years old, her lover was a boy whose will showed no boundaries. تميم or in the common tongue Tamaki was his name. His skin was tan-brown in tone with a nose sharp but not pointy, an acute degree of rougeaud handsomeness had he such was so uncommon in Hi no Kuni. High cheekbones adorned his beautiful face with lips thin like a woman's grace. What was most beautiful among his features were his eyes, wide were they with lashes extended and arched. A golden bronze in colour held he, his orbs having to be, like sand on a scorching summer day, in the middle of the month of May as were his curly long locks that extended down his neck, dry yet soft hazel brown they were, a tint of blonde but just a speck._

 _(AN: تميم - pronounced Tamēem, a common name among the Peninsular Arabs and the Levant)_

 _There was no denying that Fate played a big role in meeting Yumi and her son-in-law to be. The boy was being chased by a pair of officers from the Konoha Police Force for stealing food and clothes from a market stall when he stumbled across her. He almost bumped straight into Yumi if it wasn't for her heightened reflex that allowed her to backflip over him. She still remembered the shocked look on his face when she did that. This allowed the pursueing officers to grab a hold of him and transport him to the police station._

 _Curious with the antics of the child, she tailed the officers from behind and to her expectations they brought him to the main police station right outside of the Uchiha compound. Even if she felt uncomfortable with the situation, a nagging feeling in her gut told_ _her to follow the trail even if it reminded her of bad memories._

 _Even before her banishment from the clan, she had never stepped into the huge seven story building outside of her famialial home. The Uchiha were given the responsibility by the Nidaime Hokage to maintain law and order within the village as a sign of trust towards his former rival clan after the First Shinobi War naming Kagami Uchiha as the first Chief of Police. Before Kagami's premature death at the age of 35 due to an incurable disease, she would often meet up with her brother-in-law over a cup of green tea at her boutique._

 _To see the boy dragged down and beaten up like criminal scum in the police station made Yumi's blood boil. They had not noticed her entering the building due to her masking her chakra, a technique she picked up from Iwagakure courtesy of the Second Tsuchikage. Holding herself together before she did something that_ _will probably get her in deep trouble, she made her presence known by leaking a drop of noticeable killing intent_ _towards the instigators. To say that they were anxious was an understatement- the men were terrified._

 _They were just as surprised as they were ashamed with themselves to see it coming from a lady who looked no older than thirty- Yumi looked very young for her age, but not as obvious as Mito ever was; the wonders of chakra manipulation and its uses for personal beauty indeed. Alerted by the sudden spike in killing intent, teleporting in the room was Fugaku Uchiha, the young current chief of police and heir to the Uchiha rule who was also speechless to see the banished ex-shinobi in his station._

 _Fugaku's men were ready to strike at any moment's notice but the chief ordered them to step down- the man knew of her achievements and no one in the police force could ever dream of winning against her in a fair fight short of his own father who would also have a very difficult time to even land a hit against her._

 _Without being asked, she then explained her entry into the police station and curiosity of the boy. They all listened intently especially Fugaku who stood vigilant never removing Yumi from his sights. They discussed further regarding the situation in the heir's personal office and settled a deal that Yumi paid for the boy's bail as well as damages caused on his behalf in exchange for his freedom._

 _She recalled the thankful look on his face as they exited the station. Even after feeling the blow of her killing intent the boy showed no fear towards her. With all his bottled up emotions now released, the boy who was silent throughout the whole ordeal as she guided him towards her home in order to treat his wounds_ _broke down. Knowing the situation of the boy well she offered emotional comfort by hugging him and stroking his back which he returned while crying into her stomach._

 _And from that moment on, a bond had formed between the two, one similar to that of parent and child. Tamaki spoke very little Common Tongue but thankfully Yumi was rather well-versed in his native language الصحرائية due to being constantly posted in Wind Country for 3 years throughout the Second Shinobi War._

 _(AN: الصحرائية- pronounced As-Saharāeeyah meaning 'relating to the desert' or 'desert language' in Arabic)_

 _She then took the decision to adopt him as her son treating him like a child begotten from her line. She had taught him how to read, write and speak in the Common Tongue which the boy did with absolute ease. The boy was not as adapt in the shinobi arts as her daughter was but when given proper tutoring was en par with notable prodigies she'd seen hailing from his prior homeland._

 _Yumi knew not the proper techniques used by Sunagakure's shinobi but instead taught him the Uchiha Clan techniques. Her actions however had raised a few bells in the process causing outrage amongst the Uchiha Council back at her ex-home. Jutsus relating to Sunagakure were taught by her fellow retired comrades with بنو رياحي ancestry as the boy was a Wind user with a second water affinity. Regarding the theoratical aspects of becoming a ninja, Mitsumi was the one who offered herself to teach him which was rather surprising to her mother due to the fact that she would often keep to herself even amongst peers her age. Thus, after just two years at the age of twelve the boy had made Genin and passed the Standard Genin Examination_ _s with flying colours without attending the Academy in the first place._

 _(AN: بنو رياحي - pronounced Banū Riyāhhi, meaning children of wind in the Arabic_

 _language)_

 _Tamaki was two years younger than Mitsumi and was the only boy to ever get past her stoic mannerisms. Yumi would often note the small smile appearing on her daughter's face as the two interacted with each other th_ _roughout their years. She never seemed to laugh at his jokes but the small actions she displayed showed that she enjoyed their time together._

 _They both shared a deep passion for music which was among the odd interests no one expected them to have. As they spoke of the art, adoration present in their voices, it was akin to two lyricists reciting written poetry with utmost conviction and fascination. While the boy was inclined towards the instruments of winds which was accustomed to his nature, Mitsumi had a hidden talent that blew Yumi's mind to the ends of the earth; her daughter was a singer with the voice of a serenading nightingale._

 _And thus at the age of 18 when Tamaki made Jounin, the boy had formally asked permission from his childhood savior for her daughter's hand in marriage. She of course without a doubt gave her blessings for their union without the typical 'overprotective threats' nonsense. Why must she do so if she trusted Tameem with her and her daughter's life?_

 _And so an elaborate plan involving a certain spring moonlight festival and a walk in the Shodaime's Imperial Garden was crafted in order to swoon the unknowing young maiden he had so fallen in love with. She remembered Tamaki begging her future mother-in-law-to-be for help but all she did was smile and ruffle his long wavy hair._

 _Based on the story recalled to her by Mitsumi-in a more cheerful tone than usual, the evening was short of a disaster- the flowers he ordered came late, the table he booked for dinner at a fancy restaurant was already occupied by some nobleman, his clothes got soaked wet after bumping into a running child carrying packed soft-drinks, he almost lost his wallet, and last but not the least he got chased by an Inuzuka ninken. Such was fate mocking him in the face before heading towards his goals. Tamaki was hyperventaling and muttering inaudibles the whole time, biting all of his fingernails to vent his frustrations. It was an amusing sight nonetheless to the young Uchiha._

 _But the walk through the park was a magical experience indeed. Turns out, Tamaki had actually researched the best possible routes for an evening promenade in the 840 acre park with sites highlighting the unearthly beauty of the garden. So on a small bridge that crossed a flowing stream, underneath the star-filled heavens with the moon as his witness he went down on his right knee and took out a red velvet box from his still soaked ثوب._

 _(AN: ثوب- pronounced as Thaūb,_ _traditional Middle Eastern robe used throughout the Arab World for all occassions)_

 _And there in the box was a ring, simple in form at first glance but complex in design. Engraved around the silver although tiny were writings on both sides, one in the Common Tongue and one in الصحرائية. Such was her favourite quote from a book he had gifted to her after completing a 2-year course in his native language at Konohagakure's Foreign Institute. A book telling the story of a man so intoxicated in unrequited love for his childhood friend to the point of insanity, that he was made a legend amongst the children of Wind. The tale of قيس ابن الملوح and his pure yet obsessive adoration for ليله._

 _(AN: قيس ابن الملوح - pronounced Qis ibnul Maluh. ليله - pronounced as Leila; similar to Delilah)_

 _ولا خير في الدنيا إذا انت لم تزر حبيبا_

 _ولا خير في الدنيا إذا لم يطرب إليك حبيب_

 _(Translation Line 1: For indeed there is no sort of goodness in this world if you do not seek one for love to be.)_

 _(Translation Line 2: And indeed there is no sort of goodness in this life if the lover seranade not their hearts for you to see)_

 _Touched by the beautiful gesture_ _Mitsumi was not as prepared for the situation as she thought she was even after expecting it to happen of course- she was not clueless when it came to Tamaki's feelings for her and hers to him although they never mentioned anything about it. They have been going out on dates after dates but those were usually casual and never involved obvious romantic connotations. Her adorable younger heart-throb actually went all his way just for her even if the night seemed to turn against him._

 _For the rare moment in time, Mitsumi had the urge to be mischievous towards her lover. It was all very tempting to pull a prank on him there and then although it was so not her specialty. Then again, to emulate the character of another was a sign that you love them._

 _Not that anyone else should know of course. The emotionless 'Ice Queen' of Konohagakure no Sato must maintain her reputation after all._

 _The look on the poor boy's face when she apologized and said that "she did not see him the same way" made her feel for him at the same time wanting to comfort him with her warm hugs. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tease him in the first place. It was heartwrenchingly pitiful to see the candle of her life be blown away, withering in front of her presence. The plastered smile hiding his absolute disappointment, his golden e_ _yes carried unspoken despair as tears threatened to escape his eyes. He had not even the will to ask the reason for her rejection merely thanking Mitsumi for the wonderful evening they had together._

 _He then avoided looking to the direction of his dear one keeping the ring back into his pocket allowing the awkwardness of the situation to consume him whole._ _Never had he expected such an outcome to occur, he thought that she cared for him as a lover but he was wrong. Now he had potentially destroyed what had been the most important thing in his life ever since stepping into Konohagakure; their bond._

 _Trying to salvage the situation was practically useless, his words and actions convened nothing less than that of one begging for his heartplea to be returned. Parting as friends would undeniably hurt but not as much as watching her fall in love with another. The thought itself brought a pang in his heart and numbness to his body. Running away would not solve the problem, but it might as well stop him from doing something irrational._

 _The silence that hung in the air was all too much to stand, making someone like Mitsumi very nervous. Any wrong move from her part could potentially ruin her relationship with Tamaki. After casually rejecting and pushing away those around her, she finally understood the pain they had felt._

 _Her stupid joke backfired, that she did not expect. All she wanted to do was apologize to him but the words felt heavy on her lips to utter. Guilt was seething through her heart as her guts kindly reminded her not to move a muscle. Time stood still between the two_ _as if too afraid to pass through yet the world around them was very much alive not bothered at all by the scene in front of them happening live._

 _And then a moment that would forever be etched in the memory of the female Uchiha occured, such that tears fell from her beautiful raven eyes, not out of sadness but from pure joy. A heartfelt confession she heard yes, one to which could melt any heart and change the tides of fate. Yet the most tragic thing behind those words was not the fact that they were mentioned, but was because it was said by one accepting the painful truth._

 _That no matter what happens, the dear boy will never stop loving her because his heart belonged only to her._

 _When Yumi heard this part of the story, she too could not help but shed a few tears at the purity of emotions displayed by her son-in-law. It reminded her too much of her of her late husband. The constant yearning was sometimes too much to bear but she knew better than to wallow in misery_ , _death was a fate already written long ago. Yet her heart believed and held what is true, that one day they will meet and their love will spark anew. For indeed eternal bliss awaits non other than those who are faithful._

 _It was hardly a shock to know that the one who initiated the couple's first kiss was her daughter. After that almost disaster of an evening, Mitsumi never held back her affections for Tamaki although she showed it mostly in private. She was almost a completely different person with the boy, doing things like pouting and making cute voices which still agitated Tamaki from time to time after geting so used to her aloof persona. Thankfully, the girl was still the same person to anyone except the ones she cared about which relieved both Yumi and Tamaki- a 180 degree change in personality even towards positivity was not healthy at all._

 _The two complimented each other very well, their opposing traits supporting what ever flaws they possessed. They were by no means a perfect couple but_ _in imperfections existed a certain beauty incomparable and unique among others. While one played the role of day, bright and filled with energy the other was akin to night, dark yet held a calming serenity._

 _They then had their wedding ceremony in the middle_ _of the summer three months after the proposal. Mitsumi wanted a small reception attended by closest friends and relatives but Yumi had other ideas which unfortunately due to circumstances involving her past and current line of work must be observed. Thus after two stressful months of planning handled by both the Uchihas with a number of inputs from Tamaki, the wedding which followed an intercultural theme was held. Traces of both Uchiha and Wind Country traditions were present in the decorations and ceremonies. Guests were numerous of course, most notable were the Sandaime Hokage, the nobles of the Land of Fire, prominent ninjas that served together with Yumi during her shinobi career, Mitsumi's relatives from her father's side, the newlyweds childhood friends and colleagues, Yumi's close and immensely wealthy patrons as well as foreign dignitaries including ambassadors from Yuki no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni._

 _Hence due to the number of VIPs attending the event, it had to be guarded heavily by the ANBU and was considered a B-rank mission._

 _And yet the Uchiha and their blind prejudice still considered Yumi and her child to be outcasts of the clan even if they were treated like royalty by others._

 _Three years after their marriage, the couple was blessed with a child in a season of snow and ice, a girl who reminded Yumi of her dearest daughter when she too was born. She carried so much of her mother's features that the only visible aspects she inherited from her father's physical appearance was his skin colour albeit fairer and later as she grows, his hazel brown hair._

 _As Yumi approached her senior years, her once luscious raven black hair turning a silver grey each passing time, she was happy with her little family. Everyday on her lips and in her heart praised she the Giver of Gifts for bestowing upon her such a destiny that she knew not it's future whether good or bad._

 _And glory to those who are steadfast in belief throughout their trials and tribulations._

 _And Yumi was one of them._

 _For a month before her granddaughter's fifth birthday, the ones that she held dear to her heart were finally invited to their eternal abode. By the tails of a Great Beast, were taken away they, her children to an eternal slumber where they will rest forevermore. No longer shall she, their mother see them nor shall she, their mother hold them in her arms once more._

 _All was not lost however._

 _Yumi has long passed the stages of youth where she would question the inevitable. Those endeavours lead to folly at best. As she grew in age, her wisdom did too. There was no fault to those who suffered to feel anguish and pain nor was there fault upon them to consider their struggles to be in vain. If prayers were recited and efforts were made, then the last resolution was to accept what ever comes was obeyed._

 _And thus she poured all the remaining care and affection she had on her beloved granddaughter, swearing and oath to protect her 'till her dying breath. She then would raise her with discipline together with leniency and teach her the ways of becoming an esteemed personality, one that would make her parents proud._

 _Sometimes the feelings of doubt would creep in and whisper to her ill wills, taunting her that she was not able to save her daughter's child from a gruesome end. Was it worth it after all? The risk of being left alone in the world with no one else?_

 _Yes it was._

 _For she lived in the moment afterall._

 _"Obaa-chan? Helloooo..." said the girl with the ribbons, waving both her little hands at her grandmother in order to get her attention._

 _Snapped out of her daze, Yumi then gave a cheery smile back towards her young granddaughter. "What was it Mimi-chan? I wasn't paying much attention sorry."_

 _"Oh it's okay," she replied with an equally happy tone. "It's well cause I wanna go to bed now and stuff and well... Can you tell me another bed time story like last night?" she asked with hopeful eyes._

 _At the sight of those large dark orbs staring back at her, Yumi knew that she would have complied to her granddaughter's wishes regardless. She was quite tired after designing and completing a few orders this morning as well as making sure that the little girl stayed out of trouble while she worked._

 _It was a relief for the Yumi to utilize the Shadow Clone Jutsu for her boutique. With their assistance, she did not need to hire workers to help her and on the plus side the clones thought like her therefore her ideas are delivered perfectly without any conflicts of interpretation. The clones however were under henges thus to the average civillian, they looked like completely different people of course, each of them representing a different alter ego of Yumi's when she was a shinobi spy long ago._

 _Yumi did however take apprentices whom she taught the costume arts to. She was extremely selective when it came to the type of students she wanted to train and her requirements are over the top. The reason for her high standards stemmed from being under the tutelage of three master seamstresses from Hi no Kuni and Yuki no Kuni whom she learned from during her shinobi career and after it ended. The apprentices also must be at least Low Chunin level shinobi thus summed up the reason why after thirty years in the industry had she only taken in four apprentices that were currently considered to be big names in the fashion inside and outside the country._

 _Back to the little sweetheart that was currently dragging Yumi to her bedroom upstairs, her dear granddaughter inherited much of her father's attitude almost lacking her mother's aloofness. There were times when she looked too much like Mitsumi when she was upset that it intrigued yet pained Yumi to see._

 _"Baa-chan I'm ready!" said the little girl as she jumped and bounced on her bed excited to hear one of her grandmother's stories. The buzz of emotion emited by her brought a smile on Yumi's face who proceeded to switch off her room lights allowing the bright white glow in the dark stickers of stars and planets to shine on the room walls._

 _"So shall I continue where we left off?" said Yumi with a playful smirk on her face._

 _"Yeeeeeeesssss I wanna know what happened to General Akira and the Sage when they got trapped in the cave!" replied Mimi enthusiastically._

 _And thus the story began._

 _"... so when all hope seemed lost for the two companions after being hunted from all directions by Lord Aku and his loyal assassins, the last of the Fire King's living guardians General Akira accompanied by a man with eyes of purple rings who possessed immense power fled the already destroyed capital city of Fire Country at the hands of Eastern Army," Yumi started in a mesmerising voice pulling the little Uchiha into the fabrics of her tale._

 _"As they approached a country bare of water and trees, the Sage had fainted out of fatigue. General Akira who was taught the art of manipulating chakra by the Sage immediately brought him up and carried him on his back. The heat of the desert was unforgiveable, the dryness inhumane, so thus with all his remaining strength the general carried his master faithfully all the way across what looked to be a never ending land of yellow sand."_

 _"And at the last inches of each stride before tiredness consumed the man whole, the noble general then saw an opening to a cave, it's entrance right_ _on top of a small hill. Taking the chance for shelter, he immediately went slowly up the calm slope and entered the cave."_

 _" At that very moment strong winds b_ _egan to blow, yellow sands flew above riding in the skies forming a mist of brown surrounding the desert. The brightness of the terrain was now slowly getting darker and dimmer as if it was night, it's shadows shrouding over the dry lands. Such was the great desert storms of Wind Country."_

 _"The intensity of the sandstorm was unlike any other, greater than the ones which brought rain and snow, fearsome gales blew. Akira continued to carry his uncounscious companion deep into the cave and laid him gently on the ground. Checking the supplies he had in his pouch, he then took a piece of hard salted bread and his leather water container and ate in silence, consuming as little as possible in order not to finish what little provisions he_ _had left."_

 _"Akira then looked at the man who he had witnessed fought armies and gigantic beasts wielding prowess beyond that of his imagination so vulnerable and weak, his head lying on his lap breathing crucial yet light breaths. If a sparrow were to peck the collar of his companion's neck surely a deep wound will form and blood will gush out. Such was the state of the sage, pain ever present in his old age."_

 _"Generations upon generations of emperors have honoured him so, anointing him to be a guardian that would protect them against their foes. As he took flight to live a life in solitude, temples were built in his name idols were erected for his fame and thus nations upon nations took him as a sign of divinity so worthy of their adoration and worship._ _He was appalled to know that the people had sanctified him to be what he was not and shunned them for their actions; yet heed his warnings they did not."_

 _"The forefathers of the general were one out of many of those who believed in those fables until the Sage stumbled upon his small country and taught its citizens his wisdom. Equipped with the knowledge given to them by the Sage, the tiny rice village transformed itself into a small kingdom_ _lead by a former shepard who was the first to accept the Sage's teachings."_

 _"Three generations of prosperity had passed with the Sage taking residence in a small hut in the outskirts of the kingdom; a truly blessed time. General Akira remembered stumbling upon the man with the ringed eyes while he was but a child tasked to retrieve a runaway cow at the edge of the city by his mother. He was kind and had carried himself with utmost piety, a true sign of pure humility. He had offered him help which he gladly accepted and together they had tracked the troublesome cow wandering in one of the farms scattered in the area. Thus an unexpected relationship had formed between the two; one of master and student."_

 _"And right here at this moment the hope of the elemental nations was succumbing to the call of eternal slumber while the world was in utter chaos once more. A small fire was built next to him as the darkness of the cave was suffocating to both mental and moral. Akira was at a lost of words and his willpower was wilting as each second passed. What was he supposed to do when everything was going against him. Tears escaped his eyes some dropping on his master's face. Belief was all gone from the man," Yumi ended in false anticipation._

 _"Until a miracle happened," she continued._

 _"What miracle Baa-chan?" asked an excited yet disoriented little voice, her curiosity too difficult to contain._

 _"All of a sudden a feeling of serenity coursed through Akira, the extinguished fire of hope rekindled once more. In front of him sitting by the fire he built was a very handsome man who looked to be at the peak of his youth with a beautiful smile and kind eyes boring into his soul. His first impulse was to panic and run away but his gut felt no danger and his senses foretold that the man was no enemy. All he could do was stare in silent admiration towards his sudden guest as surrounding his face was an ethereal light beyond that of earthly beings."_

 _" **Peace,'**_ _said the man in a voice sweet and light as nectar. **'Son of man, be afraid not of me for I have come to bring glad tidings upon thee and thy companion.'** the man continued, each word carried with it a tone of certainty." Yumi said, reciting each part with the prowess of a wandering poet._

 _" **'Who are you?'** asked Akira in pure curiosity, shocked to hear such proclamation from the lips of the man._

 _ **'I am but a messenger of the Lord thy master serves. There is nothing in likeness to Him nor is there anything that is not known by Him.'** "_

 _" **'Perk thy ears and open thy heart son of man. Let not the feelings of anguish and pain drive you to insanity and hopelessness. Remember the prayers you have uttered and the unspoken words of praise you have mentioned in your hearts. Know this; all power given to man is but a trial. Man shall not be judged by the strength he possesses but the deeds he performs. Know this oh son of Man! For with difficulty will come ease. For with difficulty will come ease. For with difficulty will come ease'** "_

 _"And thus the man placed his palm on the forehead of the Sage, a glowing white light radiated from it. At the instant the light faded away, his sickly looking master bloomed to life once more saved from the clutches of deaths's door. Suddenly as the light disappeared completely, the mysterious man had vanished not leaving a trace of his presence at all. In bewilderment, Akira's mind wondered once more to the conversation he had with his unexpected helper. And forever shall those words be engraved in his mind, accompanying him in times of sweetness and sorrow both of them so easy to find," Yumi ended as she closed her eyes, a mirror of a smile appearing on her face._

 _"And dear child it's time for bed so that means lights off," she said gesturing at a cuckoo clock across her bed whose needles pointed to 10 p.m._

 _"Awwww bu-but I don't wanna go to sleep! I'm not even tired see," the little girl said with her eyes wide open in an exagerrated manner. "I want to hear more stories please Baa-chan," she begged with her trademark puppy-dog eyes._

 _"But if I were to tell you the story tonight that means you won't have another story tomorrow night and we wouldn't want that, right?" Yumi replied with a playful smirk._

 _The jive then silenced her granddaughter whose face was overcomed by the look of sheer panic, not wanting to have her story time taken away from her._ _The girl's sudden change in demeanor was not left unnoticed however as Yumi herself erupted in chilidish giggles which caused the young one in front of her to cross her arms and pout. It was always fun to tease her cute little Mimi; it made her feel young anyway._

 _"Sigh, يا حلوة العين! You are an adorable one indeed," she said while patting her granddaughter's head in affection._

 _"I best return to my room now. Kami knows how much trouble you are when you're at the boutique. Chasing you around even with shadow clones is too much for an old lady like me," she added, exagerrating her tiredness by slumping her shoulders and placing her hand up her forehead in a rather dramatic manner._

 _(AN: يا حلوة العين - pronounced Yā Helwatul Ayeen meaning "Oh sweetness to the eye"; a hyperbole used in Arabic)_

 _"Baa-chan we both know you're not thaaaat old," Mimi said as she rolled her eyes stressing the fact. "Plus you can always henge yourself to look young! You even tricked that funny man who entered your shop to buy everything that day," Mimi continued, referring to an incident with a certain wealthy perverted man and her grandmother who transformed into a teen version of herself while convincing him to buy her entire shop display._

 _The look on his face after his purchase as she henged back to normal was absolutely priceless._

 _"I know that Mimi-chan but like I said once to you, there's so much that Jutsu can do to help us in our day to day life yet not everything can be solved with a few handsigns. We're still human after all," she said switching back into her 'wise elder mode'._

 _"Anyways it's time to close your eyes and enter the realm of dreams dear one," she_ _added in a caring and motherly tone as she tucked her precious granddaughter underneath her bed sheets and stroke her hazel brown hair in a calming manner._

 _A yawn escaped the thin lips of the young girl, her long curved eyelashes battering as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The energetic ball of youth within her has finally dimmed out. Seeing this,Yumi got up from the side the bed that she has been sitting on this whole time and made her way towards her granddaughter kissing her forehead gently without waking her up._

 _"Goodnight, dear child. May the Merciful One bless you with goodness and delight. I love you, sleep my little angel, sleep..." she said in hush whispers, each word carrying a weight that could be felt by the heart._

 _And thus Yumi Uchiha walked out the room, a thankful smile plastered on her face. Her home even if small was ever enough and never empty. There in it lived a girl so innocent and pure that her happiness was nothing to her if it meant giving everything she could to the one she loved._

 _Indeed what is a home if not where the heart is?_

 _In the midst of her slumber, hither she was the young girl, dreaming of perils and adventures no man has heard nor seen. In her reveries no harm could befall her and in her reveries there was no sadness nor pain._

 _For deep in herself she knew oh she knew, that no matter what happened between time immemorial and a destiny so true there was a light at the end that will guide her through._

 _And believed she did._

...

 _Ring, ring, ring..._

Opening her eyes after laying her head on her desk, she was awoken from her nap by the ringing of her white desk phone. With a fogginess clouding her mind and a groggy sensation numbing her body, she felt like a toddler waking up lost and confused after sleeping for too long in a day. Driven solely by professionalism, she then reached out for the phone with her left hand while her right arm was still acting as her makeshift pillow for her head. Kami was she tired; she'd never a nap that good for quite some time now.

"Hello, this is Uchiha-san speaking. How may I help you?" she asked in a polite tone she had rehearsed many times before ever since entering the medical program.

"Good evening Uchiha-sama. This is Dr.Kimura calling from Patient Ward C," a middle-aged man answered.

"Ah good evening to you too Dr.Kimura. Is this regarding the two patients that were recently admitted?"

"Yes Uchiha-sama. Dr.Satoshi had told me to inform you that the two children are currently doing well. However, he advised that it is best that you visit those two after the holidays due to them needing to rest and recover after undergoing through their prior circumstance."

"Understood Kimura-san. Anything else to add?"

"I believe not Uchiha-sama. Thank you for your time and happy holidays by the way!" the senior staff replied, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Thank you Kimura-san. I'll see you around on Tuesday morning. Don't start the experiments without me alright?" she said back jokingly.

The man chuckled. "Of course not! Haruko-chan will have my head if I don't wait for you and her to return back to the hospital."

The Uchiha chuckled as well. "Great cause I don't want to clean up the mess you'll make if she isn't around to observe," she teased, refering to an incident which occured a year ago.

"Sigh. I'm a grown man with two kids; one of them now confirmed to be pregnant already..."

"Congratulations!" the girl wished cutting the man. "Do send my regards and well wishes to Kiko-chan by the way," she requested.

"Of course Uchiha-sama. Thank you for honouring us as so," thanked the doctor. "As I was saying the point here is, is that I've spent thirty-two years of my life in this field yet I'm letting a junior of ten years dictate my actions here," he said in a fake serious tone.

"You know what they say; heaven has no rage like love to hatres turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned. So, when are you going pop the question to her?"

"Sigh, I don't really know it myself Uchiha-sama. Most probably after the birth of my grandchild. Haruko would probably understand."

"Just don't wait too long. You and her deserve to be happy alright? And I know you'll treat her right." she said sincerely.

"Will do Uchiha-sama. Thank you for the advice," he replied a small smile sprouting on his face.

"And Kimura-san, call me by my first name when we're talking," she requested which seemed to be the hundredth time already.

"No can do Uchiha-sama. Protocol requires that I call you as so," the old man replied, behind faux solemness.

"You're such a stick in the mud Kimura-san. Anyways I have to go now. Goodbye and have a nice evening!" she said lastly.

"A nice evening here is a boring one. You too Uchiha-sama," Kimura said before hanging up to call.

The Uchiha placed the phone back to it's holder and sighed. She looked to the clock on her office wall and saw that it was 10:30 p.m. Today was supposed to be her day off but when duty calls, it is best to be answered.

She remembered now that she left her groceries somewhere at the place she picked up the two children. Slumping her shoulders, she sigh once more in mild frustration. Tomorrow she had to go food shopping again if not her home will be deprived of any edibles whatsoever. The Sharingan had its perks

And Sasuke had to get sick now of all the times.

She planned to bring him out for the first festival night; walking around the colourful array of night markets and watching the fireworks display but sadly fate had other plans.

He had not attended classes at the academy for a week now and based on her checkups on him, the boy won't be peach healthy until the end of next week. She did not mind taking care of the scion at all of course; it was her solemn duty to do so plus she really loved the boy like a little brother she never had.

And so she exited her office and went down using the lift to the lobby. She then greeted the receptionist on duty politely before making her way to the hospital's exit. That was when her stomach grumbled loud enough for her to hear.

" _Poor Sasuke, the boy hasn't even eaten yet and it's_ _very late. I was supposed to cook dinner for him,"_ she thought to herself.

The Uchiha then walked through the snowy road to a restaurant located in a shophouse

nearby the hospital. She then ordered take away spicy kimchi soup with two bowls of rice and extra kimchi. After collecting and paying for the meal, the Uchiha then continued her journey outside in freezing temperatures towards her home.

Her current home- which belonged to her late grandmother- was a rather simple yet cosy home built in one of Konohagakure's so-called 'grand districts'. Sure it had a huge backyard with a swimming pool behind and it may be consided well, a bungalow but compared to the houses that the aristocratic clans of the village owned, her home paled in comparison.

It was a 20 minute walk from her workplace to her housing area so every morning if she had classes at the hospital, instead of using her feet the Uchiha would just _Bodyflicker_ her way there taking approximately 38 seconds to arrive.

She would not do this everyday however, it depended on whether she woke up late or not.

Even if there was a hungry Sasuke at home and a grumbly tummy of hers to take care of, he young Uchiha would not miss the chance for a promenade in the cold winter snow. Her love for the season was something uncommon amongst the populace that she shared with both her father and grandmother. Her father because his region in Wind Country had little rain and was very often dry and her grandmother because of the serenity and peace of a cold winter night.

And her favourite part of the season was its snowflakes; a beauty of nature beyond others known.

As she walked silently past a playground near her home, her eyes noticed a figure of a young child in the darkness sitting alone on a swing attached to a tree in the middle of the area.

Curious to know what a child was doing so late at night, the Uchiha then activated her _Sharingan_ to see clearly who the child was.

An immediate feeling of loathing filled her very being.

It was _that_ child. The one that took her beloved parents away from her.

Many of the generation that survived the attack of the great beast knew of its happenings by the late Yondaime. First hand accounts of the last stand of the Fourth against the demon by prominent members of the ANBU stated that the Yondaime infused the spirit of the demon within the body of a dead newborn baby using a _Kinjutsu_ unknown in origin. It was also said that the Yondaime had to sacrifice his life essence into the corpse giving it shape in order to complete the jutsu.

Thus, it was concluded by those with knowledge that the baby was the _Kyubi,_ the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox walking around in the Yondaime's skin taunting everyone who knew and loved him with the familiar face of their hero but in reality was the root of the actual evil.

They summarized that one day, if the boy retained back the memories of his former self, the demon would invoke it's revenge on the village as a whole killing every single man woman or child that resided in Konohagakure.

Why the Sandaime kept _it_ alive, the Uchiha was not sure at all, but she trusted his judgement as her leader for none can claim as much wisdom and prowess within the Land of Fire than he, the Third Hokage.

Perhaps he was conducting an experiment to see if raised as a human, how would the demon fox turn out to be. Would it lead to a sense of loyalty to the village thus ensuring Konhagakure a weapon of mass destruction against its enemies or would it lead to the village's ultimate destruction?

Such was a huge risk for everyone involved but he was not given the title of _Le_ _Professeur_ for nothing.

Turning her gaze away from the boy in a haut manner similar to that of arrogance- the demon deserved not any sort of kind word from her even if it did forget what sins it commited against the village- she then continued her way home disregarding her prior encounter with _it_.

As she arrived at the footsteps of her grandmother's house, she then took out the housekey beneath one of flower pots at the side of the doorway. After she unlocked the door, she then removed her boots placing it on a shoerack and changed out of her coat hanging it on a hook behind the door. She then placed her bought dinner on the island of her kitchen and proceeded to make her way upstairs to wake up Sasuke.

Sasuke's room was her old room remodelled to suit the Uchiha heir in order to make it comfortable for him after needing to live with her after _that_ incident. Opening the door gently with a small creak, the Uchiha then stuck her head into the room only to be greeted with a bed with no occupant.

Immediately knowing where the boy was, she then continued her way towards her current bedroom just a few steps away from Sasuke's. With the same amount of care as she opened the previous door, her eyes caught sight of a mass of raven black hair, ethereal moonlight shining on his face as it articulated his soft yet handsome features underneath the boy's pale yet healthy skin.

As the Uchiha continued to stare at the young master, she could not help but feel a sharp pang of sadness in her heart. The lost of her grandmother, the lost of her clan even if they treated her family like undesirables and the lost of the one she loved to the _Curse of Madness_ that befell the Uchiha, the pain was all lumping together within her and it was not going away soon even after many years had passed.

But as she took one good look at the boy right in front of her, her determination to keep moving forward and do the best she could to protect her loved ones and her village sparked anew. She knew that if she faltered now, no one will be able to save the Uchiha scion from falling into the same darkness that his brother succumed to.

And thus reciting her solemn oath once more in the depths of her heart, she swore to the Almighty that she worshipped beyond that of His creations that she would do everything within her power to serve His purpose.

To do good and love for His sake and abstain from evil.

Yet, the bearer of the oath knew not what lied within her fates, for the future was but unknown and predictable it was not.

For her name shall carry it's significance; a Springtime after an oppressive winter.

Izumi Uchiha.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Mind Of Uzumaki Naruto

For a certain blonde-haired boy, early dawn was considered a sacred period of time compared to most.

As the hour struck a quarter after six, the alarm clock on a drawer by the side of the boy's bed would ring prompting the boy to immediately open his eyes- although rather reluctantly- and shut off the infernal thing. It was a peculiar habit for him to practice contrary to how he was in front of the public eye but such was the many secrets Uzumaki Naruto held from others.

Fresh from the grasps of slumber, Uzumaki Naruto then carried himself up from his bed and continued to walk lazily to the bathroom which was a door away from his bedroom. Due to the darkness of his room and daylight still hidden from the horizon above, the young boy had tripped on a pile of books spread messily across the bedroom floor and landed embarrassingly on his stomach. Groaning in mild pain, he stood up once more and proceeded to make his way towards his destination.

Switching on the lights of the bathroom, Naruto then turned on the tap and continued to perform his morning ablutions, gently rubbing his face and removing residues of dirt cheeks and forehead. Thankfully, the water flowing through his apartment's pipes was not frozen this time around but the exhilarating yet cold frost biting water was a norm for the boy as he could not afford to buy a water heater nor the electricity bills that came with it. However even if he was used to the state of the water during the seasons of ice and snow, in a way the first touch of the freezing liquid was almost always a shocking experience to the poor boy.

When it came to personal hygeine- disregarding the fact that Naruto was a rather messy individual in terms of living conditions; his very untidy room was an example-, the young blond was extremely particular with regards to it. In the summers if possible, he would often take three showers daily and spend a minimum of eight minutes in the bathroom cleaning himself. In the winter however he was unfortunately limited to only once a day which greatly brought discomfort to the boy.

Naruto took pride in his scent- the smell of purple lavenders with a hint of screw-pine leaves and mint-, hence due to his extensive knowledge of plant life and the natural oils they produce, he was able to make his own soap. The books he 'borrowed' from the civilian libraries on the matter have helped him a lot.

Especially since his livelihood was restricted by a unison embargo placed upon him by the general public.

Unlike his goofy personality which he displays fully for all the world to see, when in solitude Naruto would often take solace in the scholarly works of many fields of sciences related to both the shinobi and non-shinobi branches of thought. The inner machinations of his mind were peculiar; how could a boy maintain the gruesome burden of memorization and application compared to those among his peers and older so very easily? A child painted by the world as an idiotic menace was in fact a hidden genius.

Yet a question stayed unmoving in the minds of the solemn thinkers; how was it possible for him to be as intelligent as so?

The answer was rather simple actually; Naruto was just a special boy.

After brushing his teeth with a toothbrush whose bristles were bent and unkempt, he then exited the bathroom with a small torn face-towel on his neck. Naruto had a knack for recycling things. The face-towel was actually a small wool handkerchief he found lying on a street one day still in good condition.

Not to say that Naruto had a hoarding complex of of course; that however was mostly related to his rather large collection of reading material.

His meager apartment was filled with many books he had picked up and 'borrowed' all these years. There were books on the sofa, scrolls on the kitchen counter, manuscripts on the floor, even a home deco magazine by the sink! Yet even with all these books, the bookshelf on the left side of his bedroom remain as it is; unfilled.

Turning on the red lamp on his desk, Naruto then slid out a rolling chair from his desk and sat on it in a relaxing manner. On his work desk were a few books and scrolls, stationaries such as pencils and bamboo brushes as well as random sheets of paper with rough work written on it. He was still in his light blue stripped pyjamas complete with his signature walrus sleeping cap. Comfortable with his position, he then pushed the miscellaneous items on his desk to the side and placed his head gently on the desk, his arms acting as a pillow in between.

Closing his eyes, Naruto then attempted to enter a state of deep concentration, emptying his mind from the unnecessary and arranging his thoughts in the process.

His efforts proved fruitful as Naruto was slowly losing the feel of his surroundings, the silence of his apartment and the smell of old manuscripts the only things he could still detect. In deep meditation, he then proceeded to imagine the ideas and writings he had studied the night before. Drifting away into the numbing sensation, the boy then lifted the veil between consciousness and sleep and began to control the formations of images in his head allowing them to flow without any sort of restriction.

At last, with the final pieces of information now in place, Naruto was able to access his vault of knowledge; his mind palace.

And thus drifted he, the boy into an escape from that which was reality.

 _With peace he went; calmly and gently._

 _Dream dear child, dream, forget not your woes of which you see._

 _For surely, what you seek shall truly be._

 _Opening his eyes once more, Naruto was greeted to the sight of a dark room, the only light available was from a bricked fireplace at the opposite side of where he was standing. The walls were a dark velvet in colour further shading the atmosphere of the room as the flooring which was arranged in rectangular designs was made from wood specifically of the oak tree._

 _The room which resembled a cosy lounge followed a hunting hut theme easily found in the bordering mountain-passes between the Land of Earth and the Land of Auroras in the northern hemisphere. Naruto was rather fond of the interior designs of said room, one that he believed to be an oddity compared to the oriental styles often found in the Land of Fire. On the walls however were oil paintings; sceneries of various seasons, still-life objects and war scenarios of men wearing metal armour fighting with broad swords living in the far western part away from the Elemental Nations._

 _Many of those who reside in the east are very ignorant with regards to the cultures and mannerisms of those who inhabited the west. In books related to the matter, it was mentioned that they too possess the ability to perform 'Jutsus of the Shinobi Arts' however their method of execution differed entirely. Naruto was lucky enough to get his hands on such fascinating information - the boy accidentally stumbled upon it while he was raiding the Hokage's open library four months ago._

 _Ryukichi Endo, a renowned sociologist and retired shinobi who has taken residence in the Fire Capital had written about the case in his thesis submitted to the Royal Academy of Scholars, one of the most prestigious universities in the region entitled "Between the East and West: A Thorough Study Regarding the Historical Significance and Development of Civilizations, Chapter 4 - Variations in the Applications of Chakra" in which he stated:_

 _"... particularly with the Thuringians, (an Allemanian tribe that lives in the Westfallen States also known as The Lands of the Northern Star in the most recent maps revised by the royal cartographer Nakamura Riku, circa.1323) it had been disclosed by Nara Shogo, the head emissary of the diplomatic mission to the Western Lands to strengthen ties between The Land of Fire and The Lands of the Northern Star circa.1322 that the children of said tribe were taught a special method to harness and use their Kraft (Chakra in the Common Allemanian tongue) which differs greatly to what is commonly used in the Elemental Nations._

 _The lack of hand signs is the most evident of dissimilarities in the handling of chakra between the two peoples. The twelve zodiac signs which are considered to be the basis of all known Jutsus are completely disregarded by the westerners in manipulating chakra. However, the matter which is most intriguing about their practices is that elemental manipulation is taught first as an introductory exercise to build up a strong tolerance for their powers. Surprisingly, it was added by the chief elder of said tribe Otto Altenbach that eight out of ten children were able to execute these exercises to an acceptable manner with ease. Thus, this proves Aburame Hiro's initial theory in his book 'A Reflection on Chakra Control' that it is entirely possible to develop a sense of independence from handsigns to perform Jutsu if and only if the subject was tutored from a young age to do so._

 _(AN: Thuringian - an ancient Germanic tribe that used to reside near the south of the Elbe River in Deutschland)_

 _(AN: Allemanian - word play from the French word Allemagne, which means Germany)_

 _The special method practiced by the Thuringians in order to mold their chakra is by using a chakra conductor with a narrow focal point acting as a medium for chakra to flow. This tool also known as a Kraftstab (Direct translation in the common tongue would be 'chakra staff/stick') comes in various sizes and is often made from special kinds of wood or metal that are good conductors of chakra. Those who possessed extreme chakra control need not use said tools to perform a certain Jutsu they have mastered; a mere intention was enough._

 _However the main similarity between the western people and their oriental counterparts stemmed from the need to name the Jutsu which is being performed. It is well known that one can easily avoid calling out the name of a technique when being used but it was unanimously agreed upon by both communities that stating the Jutsu with proper intention will give the best result._

 _As mentioned in Chapter 3 priorly, there exists several off-shoot tribes descending from Allemania that have settled permanently in the Elemental Nations forming their own functional societies or having assimilated to the present culture and language often through intermarriage between the local races.Traits such as light-coloured hair (blonde ranging from different shades), eyes of various colours (tones of blue, green or grey), sharp noses and a naturally tall figure signifies a typical Thuringian or any of the known far north-western Allemanian peoples (Rheinländer, Grüßiner, Östvolk Saarmänner etc.) and their decendants._

 _The population spread of the Allemanians in the Elemental Nations is mostly concentrated in the North-East regions most notably in the mountainous and forest regions of Fire Country, Snow Country as well as Lightning Country.The Kingdom of Aare, a sovereign nation in the Land of Snow is one of the few examples of existing countries that is ruled by Allemanians following a system of government that differs greatly to the Daimyo system used in three of the Great Elemental Nations (Fire, Water and Earth). However said information shall be mentioned further in Chapter 6 under Governments and..."_

 _Shaking himself awake after blanking out moments ago, Naruto let out a soft chuckle at the peculiarity of the situation. Here he was in his mind and yet he was able to space out deeper in his subconscious. The scenario was just plain ridiculous.But what seemed impossible was in fact entirely possible within the endless fields of his imagination._

 _Concentrating on his surroundings once more, Naruto then walked closer to the fireplace his gaze set at it's glow at the end of the room. Unlike his usual attire that he would often put on in the real world, the young blonde was currently wearing a round collared royal blue tunic that was long sleeved. Wrapped around his waist was a white girdle that was tightened with a buckle, his trousers a light blue in colour. Dark leathered boots covered his feet while hugging his petite yet strong figure was an expensive silver cloak that displayed wealth and prominence. The final touch of it all was a crown of pure silver adorning his head, upon it priceless sapphires of deep ocean blue._

 _Such was the clothing of young master Naruto, the heir to the throne of his desires. For indeed, the young scion was the ruler of his palace of thoughts._

 _"Ah, I see you are already here," an old weary voice said coming from the direction of the fireplace."I apologize for my unexpected arrival sensei," Naruto said, giving a slight bow to his teacher. "Fret not young master, fret not," the old man replied back in a calming tone. "Come hither and sit as you please."_

 _Naruto did as he was told and sat on an armchair opposite of the old man who was reading a thick tome while squinting his eyes. The man looked to be older than the Sandaime Hokage with a long white beard that reached his chest. His face was wrinkled and upon it were small brown patches and spots spread across his elderly visage. He was wearing a bulky robe dyed velvet red that covered his frail-looking body and wore house slippers of the same colour. The man had a head full of long white hair tied neatly into a ponytail that reached his upper back. However what was most intriguing about the man was essentially his eyes; a silver grey in colour they were. Held within them was an odd cloudy blur that protruded both eyes making him look blind; yet he was far from sightless._

 _"Have you already finished the chapters which I've instructed you to read last week?" the man asked in a seemingly uninterested manner, his eyes not lifting from his book._

 _"I have already completed and memorized the chapters tasked upon me sensei. However, I am far from mastering the new seals found in them," Naruto answered in a polite and educated tone, a hint of disappointment hidden beneath his words._

 _"That is but commonplace dear child. The more you practice and improve, the more clear the art of sealing shall be within your grasp. Like I've said a hundred times before even a master starts of as a mere novice no matter who," he said as he closed the book he was reading placing it on a small round table at his side."Now then, let us continue with your lessons," he added as he clapped his hands. A brush and a roll parchment of papyrus then came to be from thin air, dropping gently on a circular carpet in front of the blonde._

 _"Begin," he instructed prompting Naruto to reach out for his learning materials and start his lessons.Sitting on his knees, the young blonde then diligently initiated his self-imposed rituals when initiating the art of Fuinjutsu. First he would take the drawing brush with his right hand and hold the tip perpendicular to the ground bringing said brush close to his face while closing his eyes. Then he would speak out the proper intention in his heart whilst making a short prayer to Kami in order that his seals would work as intended. Lastly he would then blow a small gust of breath upon the brush with his eyes opened, the image of the seal now ready in his mind._

 _In the eyes of those who possess little knowledge, said ritual was merely a whimsical fallacy however Naruto knew better than to challenge the unseen. It was of utmost importance that one keeps a level-head at all times when attempting to dabble into the sealing arts. A miscalculation in precision due to negligence or unforeseen circumstances may lead to dire consequences for both the user and his surroundings._

 _Among the branches of shinobi arts that existed in the known fields of thought, Fuinjutsu is considered the hardest due to the complexity of the methods and techniques surrounding this mysterious yet enticing discipline.And thus Naruto began by drawing a triangle in the centre of the parchment with uttermost care, making sure that the sides were equal in length to the naked eye. He then layered the drawn centre with a square and an inverted triangle of the same type forming a shape similar to that of a traditional star symbol associated with the المختاري, a tribe that lives in the north western parts of the Land of Wind. After adding more geometric patterns onto the papyrus surface, a complex polygonal formation was derived bringing into being a set of complicated yet logical matrices unfathomable by the common laymen and their associates._

 _(AN: المختاري - pronounced Al-Mukhtari, meaning 'chosen' or 'chosen people', closely associated with the Jewish People particularly in West Africa)_

 _Such was the beauty of Takigakure's Fuinjutsu, a noble art thriving in Waterfall Country for the past millenia._

 _Scholars on the subject have divided the art into eight main styles available in the Elemental Nations based on separate historical developments, general format of creation, difference in writing scripts and language as well as unique traits unparalleled in either of the eight types of sealing._

 _The oldest of the eight types of Fuinjutsu styles is attributed to The Land of Wind- a style known as الختم- which has endured the passing sands of time for approximately 2,500 years; 1,200 years before the coming of The Sage of Six Paths. This style has went through many revolutionary changes throughout its existence however the peak of its reformation occurred 487 years ago when the جماعة الكتّاب standardized the discipline into two separate languages - الصحرائي and البيرائي- thus catering for the two main peoples residing in Wind Country._

 _(AN: الختم - pronounced as Al-Khatm meaning Sealing in Arabic)_

 _(AN: جماعة الكتاب - pronounced as Jama'atul Kuttab meaning Congregration of Writers in Arabic)_

 _(AN: الصحرائي - pronounced As-Sahrai'ie meaning desert language)_

 _(AN: البيرائي - pronounced Al-Birai'ie; a region in Wind Country in the north western parts where the Al-Mukhtari people thrive; written in their script as הבירית - pronounced Habirit)_

 _The Fuinjutsu style of Taki no Kuni was first developed 500 years after the passing of the great Sage when the Grand Vizier of Waterfall Country made a calculated decision to seperate his country from the influence of مملكة القهارية القدس- an empire that stretched from the far west of the Elemental Nations to the western parts of the Land of Fire- leading to a six month war which was surprisingly won by Waterfall forces with heavy loses from the empire._

 _(AN: مملكة القهارية القدس - pronounced Mumlikatul Qahāriyatil Quds meaning The Holy Qahāri Empire; Qahāri is a dynasty that ruled The Land of Wind and it's surrounding occupied lands for 700 years until it's collapse one hundred years before the implementation of the shinobi village and Kage system)_

 _Fighting the war on home front, the military force of Taki no Kuni were at their wits end; how could they defeat an empire thirty times greater in size than their own lands with an army numbering theirs one hundred to one in ratio?By creating their own sealing methods of course.The Fuinjutsu of the Land of Waterfalls is considered to be the most well-built in structure among the eight categorized types, defense-wise. The use of geometrical shapes as a base or centerpiece of the seal ensures a more solid framework when seals are being executed._

 _Thus based on the laws of stability which exists in the sealing arts, if polygons are drawn in a way such that the angles between each line are equal and their sides coherent, this creates a wide spectrum of possibilities for seals to be executed for the purpose of containing or fortifying instead of releasing for offense.With lushes green forests filled with rivers and waterfalls spread across the country as well as cities built in secluded valleys carved through mountain passes, the land itself was a natural fortress. Hence when seals were added to the mixture in order to strengthen the available defenses, the country was almost impenetrable._

 _To this day, no country even one of the Five Great Elemental Nations is able to capture the landlocked nation._

 _When Naruto read the history of Taki no Kuni's Fuinjutsu in the scroll he got from Jiji's library, he was beyond amazed at the potential of the art in his future ninja career as well as his daily life. Sure they had touched a bit on Fuinjutsu at the academy but those lessons were only limited to containment seals and explosive tags which Naruto thought was cool but not enough to drive his curiosity to discover more about it. The only aspect of Fuinjutsu which the academy instructors taught about that got the boy's full attention was the Yondaime Hokage's Teleportation seal. Especially since the Fourth Hokage is Naruto's second favourite Hokage - the first would be the Old Man of course._

 _As Naruto delved deeper into the art, the question he had posed earlier to Rina-sensei that one time during a Wednesday's history class on the Fourth's technique which resulted in him being labeled as an 'interrupting smart-ass' by said teacher was finally answered; if the Yondaime planted his legendary seal on all of his victims which led to their inevitable demise, how come none of the enemy villages researched a way to recreate the technique that brought fear to their hearts if they had the exact copy of the seal etched on the skins of their fallen brethren?_

 _The answer itself was very fascinating indeed. In Fuinjutsu, there exists a failsafe system which allows sealers to ultimately protect their secrets from falling into the wrong hands. This system which is also known as the 'lock-and-key' mechanism, allows practitioners to seal their Fuinjutsu formulas through various methods in order to achieve the greatest possible effect intended to safeguard their techniques. However throughout history, many failsafes have been successfully 'cracked' by seal-breakers hence the guarantee for a seal to be completely safe from prying eyes and hands was itself a far-fetched idea._

 _However the Yondaime was not just some chummy ninja who happened to know Fuinjutsu; No, no. He was hyperbolically Fuinjutsu reincarnated as a human being. It was rumored that the man knew and was able to use all eight types of sealing styles -maybe even more than that- proficiently to the point that Grand Master Nakamura Hikaru, the best Fuinjutsu user in the Land of Fire who was trained by sealing specialists all around the world seconded only by Jiraiya of the Sannin, acknowledged him as his better._

 _Thus it can be concluded that no one short of a sealing master from the now extinct Uzumaki Clan can unlock even a layer of his Hiraishin no Jutsu._

 _Speaking of his clan..._

 _"Roshi-sensei, I have already completed the seal," Naruto said, a hint of satisfaction present in his voice._

 _"A moment please," the old man replied, getting up from his armchair as he walked to the carpet where Naruto was sitting on. He then squinted his eyes observing every detail of Naruto's seal without fault as a serious look appeared on his face."I believe this to be acceptable," he said in his scruffy sounding voice. "Execute the seal," he instructed._

 _Without delay, Naruto then imagined the image of apple to appear in his mind palace which poofed into existence and landed safely on the sealing matrix. He then performed partly the Seal of Confrontation with his right hand and concentrated his chakra on the seal while aiming his willpower on its geometrical formations._

 _"Fuinjutsu: Hollow Entrapment Seal Activate!" shouted Naruto._

 _A hollow wall then appeared around the apple surrounding it on all four sides. The top and bottom part of the see-through structure was also covered by a visible glass-like square as the wall was shining a calming white colour._

 _To test out the sealing Naruto then imagined a few kunais and shuriken and threw them towards the walls at extreme speeds using his mind similar to that of Metal Release users. Instead of breaking the walls or puncturing holes in them, the projectiles did no damage and bounced off the walls without causing even a slight dent to its surface._

 _"Well done young master, well done! A fine job indeed on the Hollow Entrapment Seal," Master Roshi said, a small smile appearing on his elderly face._

 _Naruto gave a bright grin to his master at the prospect of his success at the seal. He was a quarter way through the Fuinjutsu scroll and here he was, already making very good progresses on the art. He estimated that by the upcoming year he would have already mastered the necessary seals that was applicable both in his career as well as off duty._

 _He could already imagine the amount of pranks he could pull off with the knowledge in his hands; it was chaotically beautiful._

 _"All those who wronged me, prepare yourselves! Sooner or later you guys are gonna get caught in a wild Maelstorm né Uzumaki and it ain't gonna be pretty," said the boy to himself mischievously, a determination like fire present in his chest._

 _Only for that fire to burn out as easily as it appeared to be.Slumping his shoulders droopingly, Naruto let out a tired sigh, his blue orbs staring blankly on the floor as his fingers played with the intricate weaved patterns on the round carpet. The pranks he did were obviously good training for him - the plotting and planning, the scouting and espionage of potential victims and places where the deed is done, the use of his vast creativity and intelligence in order to create a memorable masterpiece, the precision in which all actions prior and during the prank must be done at specific times, the capability to outrun and escape his pursuers as they chase him with the intent to capture (and maybe kill?) him; all of them are skills that should be honed by good shinobi.'_

 _Sadly the populace understood not the actions he committed and instead took the liberty to scorn him even further marking him in their ignorant perspectives as nothing more than a foolish hooligan._

 _Little did they know in actuality, the personality of childishness, the one which the boy played and personified without fault was nothing more than a mask that he wore to distract himself from the subtle melodies of La Folia, the tempting sounds of madness._

 _(AN: La Folia - a musical form built on fixed chord progressions often used during the Renaissance and Baroque period. Also means 'light-headedness' or to the extreme insanity)_

 _Oh how great of a burden it is, the little Uzumaki carrying such on his small shoulders!Dread continued to taunt the child as the feeling of anguish appeared in his heart spreading like venemous poison through his veins. A touch of frost touched the boy's skin as a freezing chill went up his back- even as the boy was sitting next to a roaring fireplace its warmth comforting, the heat was null to his senses._

 _His body felt numb._

 _Slowly, the child then lost the sensation of his limbs, the muscles on his face began to stiffen.Suddenly the intensity of the burning flames in the fireplace began to wan as its flicker turned dimmer and dimmer 'till the room was engulfed in darkness, the boy's vision limited to only the outlines of the furnitures' silhouettes. The old man named Roshi was no where to be seen; no trace of his presence remaining having just disappeared into thin air. The silence itself was unnerving, the still air drowning as a familiar feeling of anxiousness came upon the boy chocking him into despair._

 _The blonde was being watched.The hairs around the boy's neck stood up, a familiar yet frightening sensation was shaking him to the core. The room he was in now felt abandoned for years, dusty floors and suffocating stuffiness of the atmosphere was too much for even the boy to bear.Then he heard it._

 _"Naruto-kun~..."_

 _A silent yet spine-chilling disembodied voice resonated in the air freezing the boy in his place, his wide eyes filled with panic and absolute fear. His instincts were screaming at him telling him to run but the boy could not move as his body was petrified like hardened stone._

 _Naruto knew the risks of entering his mind; he has done so for a many number of times. Yes it is true, the deeper in one goes the greater the knowledge one may yield however there existed a flaw in the technique which Naruto had difficulty controlling while he was in his mind palace.His emotions.Indeed there was no denying that Naruto was an expert at suppressing his true emotions while interacting with those around him, a skill he had mastered from a very young age in order to protect his spiritual strength and mental stability. It was a coping mechanism; when insulted, smile cheekily and pretend to be careless. Such an act was simple really - the personification of a naive and slightly idiotic boy whose dreams and hopes is to finally be recognized and respected by society as a whole. It was a ploy which was readily accepted by the populace who refused to look underneath the underneath- to its essence, his deception was beyond successful. In a more neutral view one may even see him as an idealist striving for a betterment for himself- the concept of an individual against the world comes to mind, who with pure faith and conviction could win the hearts of those around him._

 _Naruto may be faithful but he knew such altruistic concepts could not apply for a boy like him._

 _Creek... Creek..._

 _The blonde was shaking uncontrollably after hearing heavy footsteps on the creaking floorboards as his eyes frantically searched for the source of the eerie sound. He needed to get hold of his emotions immediately but the tenseness of the situation was pressuring him to remain immobile. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute but he could not break out of this disturbing trance._

 _At this rate, he was about to understand the true meaning of fear._

 _There is a very big difference between concealing your emotions in the real world and controlling them in the mindscape; Is it not an impossible feat to hide one's true self from himself? In the real world one can easily hide their guises beneath false identities and makeshift names but that cannot be said for his inner being. No matter the circumstance, the root of all actions lies in but one thing; intention.Therefore, it is beyond the bounds of possibility to deceive oneself in the mindscape._

 _Clatter... Clatter..._

 _The mindscape is truly a fascinating place indeed; it is determined to be a separate entity from the subconscious levels responsible for dreams when one is asleep. Naruto had discovered the wonders of his newly found ability when he delved deeper into his daydreams bound by lucidity after his past excursion in the Hokage's forbidden library a few months back. Equipped with the knowledge that he could not use Genjutsu properly- even as he improved on his chakra control, he could still not perform a Bunshin without it looking sickly- the boy then tried to seek a different approach in manifesting his inner desires._

 _As he studied the small book about the art written by a Yamanaka thoroughly -one of three literary materials he managed to bring back with him from that night, he had discovered a link between chakra flares emitted by a victim in order to dispel Genjutsu and the signals- both electrical and hormonal- controlled by the Central Nervous System which could help him with his problem. If he could establish a forceful mental link by flaring his chakra at his target, he would be able to perform Genjutsu without the means of a careful injection of foreign chakra within the target's chakra system._

 _The book was kind enough to give a small list of Yamanaka Hiden techniques that the clan uses for information gathering which was not available for public use. Out of the four techniques listed, the second technique fits the criteria for his hypothetical method. The Hiden Technique: Piercing Mind Jutsu enables the user to effectively force themselves into the mind of their victims and act from there. The potential for this jutsu did not stop from there however, one can also use this technique to plant ideas and information in the victim's head as well as take control of their thought processes._

 _And thus with this revelation at hand, the boy had struck gold._

 _Like most great things that occur in the life of a young Uzumaki Naruto, they all share the same particular trait; all of them happened to be purely coincidental. After several nights of studying the basis of the jutsu and its hand signs, Naruto had grasped the mechanics of the technique with ease. The only thing he needed to at the time was to perform it on someone - and he knew the perfect test subject._

 _Takashi was a civilian man in his 50s that lived a floor below Naruto. He was especially critical towards the boy and would often throw insults at him when he sees him and blame him for irrelevances that was not his fault. The annoying man had pressured the landlord to kick the blond out from his apartment block many times before but thankfully his Jiji had interfered and saved him from the streets._

 _As he was about to form the six hand signs for the jutsu on his unexpected neighbour who was sitting beneath a tree drunk in front of the apartment block on a warm Friday night Naruto had sneezed at the last moment and missed the Ne handsign thus activating an incomplete jutsu. This lead to the jutsu malfunctioning thus knocking the boy out from consciousness._

 _He remembered waking up lost in pitch black darkness as his eyes frantically searched for a visible source of light around him. To say that Naruto was scared was an understatement; the boy was terrified to the bone. He thought that the jutsu had killed him and he was caught in limbo- the world between realms._

 _In a panic state Naruto then hyperventilated, his anxiety at its highest as his thoughts were in disarray. He did not know what exactly went wrong except that he blacked out after incompleting the jutsu handsigns._

 _Tears began forming in his eyes as he brought himself in a fetal position like the scared child he was. Naruto had always been alone throughout his whole entire life even in death he was destined to be alone. He then attempted to recall the few good memories that he had in hopes that he could at least find some clarity before the Angels of the Graves visited him to pass on their judgement._

 _And then it happened._

 _As he recalled the last fond moments he had with the Old Man the darkness around him was suddenly replaced by a familiar looking setting that he knew like the back of his hand- The Hokage's Office. Walking around the room in shock, his eyes then gazed in awe at the sight of the office taking into account the smallest details of the room he had so often visited. Even the view outside the windows behind the Sandaime's working desk was breathtaking- the glowing summer sun in the horizon shining it's light upon Konohagakure as the Hokage's Mount glistened in eternal glory above the village._

 _The boy could not believe what he was seeing- how was this even happening? Collecting his thoughts, Naruto tried to deduce the situation he was in. Based on the circumstance at the time, it seemed that his surroundings were influenced by his thoughts if he intended it to change. He then tried imagining his favourite training ground and as soon as he concentrated on the memories of the area he was transported immediately to said place._

 _As he loitered around the training field, Naruto then imagined himself in his usual daily attire- complete with his signature orange jacket- and did what he often did when he was there; target practice. He then took out a kunai from his weapon's holster and inspected the sharp throwing knife with interest. The weight of the weapon was rather similar to the ones he had used at the academy and the design was very much the same. Curious with the result, Naruto then brought the sharp tip of the kunai on his left hand and pricked his thumb._

 _The stinging sensation was then felt by the boy as he immediately moved his hand away from the kunai, a drop of blood escaping the wound._

 _To further his studies on the matter, Naruto then walked towards a training dummy forming the Tora seal on his hands and concentrated his chakra to his mouth._

 _"Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu!" shouted Naruto as a burst of water escaped his mouth forming a sharp projectile which penetrated the dummy._

 _A bright smile appeared on Naruto's face as the realization of the situation dawned upon him. With the variables he had collected in place after a thorough analysis, he concluded that the five hand signs which made up the formation of the technique was in fact the aspect of mind manipulation to which one could distort the reality within the consciousness of an individual similar to that of Genjutsu. However what made this jutsu special is that while its features are similar to that of orthodox Genjutsu, its fundamentals are not. This meant that Naruto can perform Genjutsu with the Mind Piercing Jutsu without resorting to his Yin Release as a medium- rather than being the main component, it is merely a catalyst. Thus as a substitute Yang Chakra is used._

 _And again due to the nature of his poor chakra control, he deduced that he possessed Yang Chakra in abundance._

 _Recalling Iruka-sensei's lessons on the two types of nature transformations that exists out of the elemental transformations, Naruto began to ponder further regarding the issue. While Yin involved the spiritual nature of chakra, Yang was its absolute opposite. In poetic terms Yin is said to be the female counterpart of the balance between the two carrying feminine qualities-often associated with the need to protect and the spirit. Yang however is associated with masculinity; the yearn for power and the body._

 _The differences between the two chakra types make up the generalization of the shinobi arts into what it is known today. It is often seen that when it comes to Medicinal Jutsu, Genjutsu or Defensive Ninjutsu, it is women who hold dominance in these branches of knowledge without fault. While that fact may be true, for men it is also often perceived that they excel better in Ninjutsu especially the offensive kinds compared to females due to the nature of the art being destructive rather than protective._

 _Henceforth for Naruto to find out that Genjutsu could be performed by using Yang based chakra is undeniably an amazing discovery. To create illusions, mere falseness from the essence of reality instead of the imaginary? This contradicted the written laws of Jutsu itself! It is but a paradoxical oxymoron one that would baffle the minds of the greatest of intellectuals for days to come._

 _Blue orbs searched in panic, a dark manifestation appeared flickering..._

 _As time passed on, Naruto continued to experiment on his new jutsu which he named 'Mind Castle Jutsu' alone in his free time. He even used the jutsu while he was in class thus earning him scoldings from his teachers and the scorn of his fellow classmates. It was also a good cover up for his mask too, giving others the impression that he was the goofy idiotic boy that they thought he was. After his first three months at the academy, Naruto learned that it was best that he hid his actual skills from others as much as he could. Sure if one was talented enough one could graduate as a Genin without needing to attend the the mandatory three year course at the academy by taking the test early however that is a rare occasion indeed._

 _Naruto did not want to stand out if it meant compromising his safety._

 _For a young scholar like the young Uzumaki, his jutsu was a godsend- ten minutes in his mindscape was equivalent to a minute in the real world. It had the ability of the Sharingan giving the user a photographic memory. Yet unlike the infamous eyes of the Uchiha, in order to utilize the knowledge learned, one must enter the mindscape to recall back the memory gained as it is not available with the user in his consciousness. On the plus side however, every moment experienced by the body -unless removed forcefully from the user's memories- could be recollected thus making this technique more efficient than the Sharingan for memorization._

 _The advantages does not stop here however. When compared to lucid dreaming where a practitioner is free to imagine as he wishes, the Mind Castle Jutsu allows the user to replicate reality in the mind as a simulation which obeys the laws of actuality. In a sense, one may view this to be the ultimate testing ground in which the consequences of one's actions does not effect the person in the real world at the slightest._

 _Naruto has a full scale model of The Hidden Leaf Village in his mindscape which he visits so often. It's nice to walk through the streets of his home without the 'looks' and 'stares' of hateful eyes._

 _However it may seem, the boy was rather reluctant to create chakra constructs of others in his mindscape. Firstly, compared to places and written information, to create the manifestation of a person using the technique is extremely taxing on one's chakra due to the complexity of a human's chakra system. Secondly, their personalities and psychology cannot be replicated with the means of Yang Chakra- Yin Chakra is required in the process._

 _And last of them all, if the boy was able to create the perfect world for himself in his head, he may never want to leave._

 _Even if it was never real in the first place._

 _A dark entity crawled maliciously, stalking the innocent child like helpless prey._

 _However as stated previously, the jutsu itself possesses a few hindrances when in use. It could be categorizedas a Kinjutsu due to the extreme cost of chakra while maintaining it. Thus only those with Jonin-like reserves are able to use this jutsu freely without the backlash of chakra exhaustion and that is only limited to ten minutes of usage before full depletion._

 _This of course was not a problem for Naruto, he could use this technique for three hours daily before the backlash happens. It is very impressive indeed for one so young to have chakra reserves the size of a Kage's however this did not mean that there isn't a cause of distress for the boy._

 _"Please, please... Don't come any closer," begged the child as the entity approached, a soft but hysterical laughter could be heard._

 _Fears are generally often divided into two types; the rational and irrational. Rational fears are the kinds which are possible to happen- the fear of spiders and snakes comes to mind- because of the dangers these phobias pose to the wellbeing of a person. While these kinds of phobias may be encountered by a person in reality, irrational fears are often not. Regarding the probability of such unreasonable events to occur, one would fully admit that it is unlikely to its essence._

 _Thus a question may appear in the thoughts of the thinkers; what is the connection between the boy's technique and the facts mentioned above? Why must he be calm and collected when executing the jutsu? How can his emotions influence the technique?_

 _T_

 _The boy was breathing heavily the beat of his heart drummed his ears. Cold sweat trickled of his skin, his face pale white._

 _Simple enough._

 _The entity approached closer within the circle of the sitting lounge, its empty sockets gazing upon the boy while a twisted smile appeared on its hideous visage._

 _For the mind of Uzumaki Naruto is but a tempest. If thoughts of darkness ruled above him, his mind would obey its wishes letting fear and hopelessness taunt him to misery._

 _The entity was within the boy's sight. It was ghastly in appearance similar to that of a rotten corpse of a child._

 _And there are two things the young boy truly fears._

 _Its face was deformed, the human in it null. There was little to no skin on it, its clothing worn and torn. Strands of what used to be hair was on its scalp the stench of it putrid poisoning the snout._

 _Evil spirits and demonic entities._

 _It crawled malevolently towards the young blond getting closer and closer. Its hands and feet were mangled, fingernails and toenails contorted and twisted._

 _And losing himself in his insanity._

 _"STAY BACK! ENOUGH PLEASE I BEG YOU DON'T COME CLOSER. JUST GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAYYYYYYYY!!!!" the boy shouted at the demonic manifestation yet it kept crawling towards him._

 _And what happens the two are added together?_

 _"Don't you wanna play Naruto-kun? You know you want to. We can make them all 'sleep' together. Don't you want to? I know you do. Come play with me. Play with me," said the entity in a distorted voice as the boy shouted his pleas._

 _A nightmare worse than any other._

 _"I-I-I don't ever want to p-play with y-you, just go away... please.." the boy answered with a cracking tears filled his eyes out of fear._

 _And all of a sudden silence surrounded the room, the only sound present was the gasping of air from the boy. The mood was macabre and heavy, a feeling of despair locked in the child's heart. There was an anticipation for something to happen yet time went on a standstill._

 _A wry chuckle escaped the crooked lips of the entity. It continued to crawl to the blonde until its hideous face was right in front of the boy's own face. It then moved its disfigured hands towards the boy's cheek stroking the whisker marks with its elongated finger nails._

 _Bringing its mouth closer to boy's right ear. The creature then whispered._

 _"How can I go away if I am you?"_

 _The young Uzumaki then blacked out._

Naruto jolted up from his desk causing him to fall of his chair on the floor the chair following in suit. His eyes was searching around in panic and to his relief he recognized the layout of his own bedroom. Placing his right hand on his chest he could feel his heart beating in a frenzy as he felt cold sweat droplets forming on his forehead.

He continued to sit on the floor, his back halfway down while outstretching his legs. The aftermath of the encounter was etched in his mind as his body continued shaking in fear. He checked his pants and thankfully it was still dry. He did not want to wet himself like a toddler again.

The clock on his wall pointed at 6:34, meaning he had s approximately three hours in his mindscape. Naruto was exhausted. Normally, using the jutsu for fifteen minutes would not take such a toll on the boy but due to the circumstance beforehand he had already lost three-quarters of his chakra reserves. If he hadn't woke up in time he might have died of chakra depletion.

Naruto had experienced a similar case of chakra exhaustion two months ago. It happened while he was at the academy sleeping through Iruka-sensei's lesson during the last period. He was very lucky that Iruka-sensei checked on him at the time; he was immediately brought to the hospital and was admitted for three days.

This incident of course lead his beloved grandfather-like figure to worry as his first assumption of Naruto's admission to the hospital was because of attacks on him by the villagers again - like the boy wasn't used to it already. However after knowing about his over-consumption of chakra, the Old Man began questioning the boy about his over-consumption of chakra which the young blonde experienced. Naruto had skillfully avoided answering the questions in full giving only half-true statements saying that he was attempting a high level elemental jutsu. Surprisingly, the Old Man believed in him. However the boy wasn't let off the hook easily. The Old Man had berated him for his foolish- albeit prodigious- actions and made him promise to never experiment on jutsus if it endangered his health and life.

Let it be known that Uzumaki Naruto was a boy that kept his promises. This however did not mean that he was naive enough to word said promises without loopholes.

He did gave his word to the Old Man that he would not perform anymore dangerous jutsus but then to him the Mind Castle Jutsu was not a dangerous technique most of the time.

All he needed to do now was to control his emotions and not let that thing appear in his mindscape ever again.

Naruto remembered his first encounter with that entity; never had he felt fear as much as he had at that time. Due to the nature of the technique, the experience felt entirely real and more potent than an average Genjutsu. Every now and then he would have terrible nightmares of meeting the thing which resulted in him having sleepless nights.

But as a ninja to be, he tried his best to not let the aftermath of his fears effect his being negatively. Even if he was constantly attacked psychologically, he was still trying to be as strong spiritually as possible. After all, he had a goal to achieve.

Lifting himself up Naruto forced his numb legs to walk to the bathroom once more. He took a dry towel hanging on the wall by the bathroom door and proceeded to remove his clothes throwing them on the floor.

He needed a long shower, disregarding the fact that the water was frostbite cold.

Entering the bathroom, he then placed his towel on the sink. As he stood in front of the shower he then turned the faucet on letting the cold winter water flow down his naked body soaking his golden blond mane. Even as the boy was shaking to the bone at the freezing sensation on his bare skin, it was still calming.

Taking his homemade bar of soap which has thinned over the usage- he needed to make a new one soon- on the soap holder attached to the shower, Naruto then moved aside from the spraying water droplets and began scrubbing his body gently removing any impurities on his skin.

Naruto's skin was a natural pale in colour. As autumn and winter days approached closer he spent less time outside training due to short daylight hours. The tan he gained over the summer had slowly fade away revealing its actual tone. It wasn't an unhealthy ghostly pale but compared to the rest of his peers, Naruto had the one of fairest skins amongst them.

Ten minutes into the shower, Naruto then washed the suds off his abdomen and limbs. Turning the faucet off, Naruto shivered, taking the towel from the sink he then proceeded to dry off his body.

He looked into the mirror once more staring at his reflection deeply as he contemplated on his appearance. For his age, Naruto was a rather short boy. This was probably due to his diet and daily intake of food. Sure Naruto's number one favourite food was ramen but he had other interests too. It's just that he can't really afford it much.

However minus his height, he had a well-developed body and toned muscles to compliment it. As a routine, after performing his morning ablutions and 'desk sessions' he would then go to Training Ground 34 -an obsolete area not used anymore which Naruto conveniently found one day after pranking a few Chunins to hide- where he would do physical exercises and practice academy Taijutsu Katas for two hours before returning home for a shower.

The boy would often come late because of this thus earning him scoldings and punishments from the academy instructors. Well, he didn't give a damn anymore. He figured that since his education was already sabotaged at the academy, it was best to put matters in his own hands. Furthermore, it solidified his image as the 'dead last' of his class, making it easier for his mask to manifest itself in front of the crowd.

His face was another story altogether. It was rather round in shape with three whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks. He had high cheekbones visible from near as well as a small button-like nose. While his eyebrows were thin and fine, his eyes were a bright blue in colour like the sight of the heaven's above on an early morning's summer day.

All in all, Naruto's facial features were rather delicate for a boy, almost feminine even. From up close, if you stared long enough you could even consider his face as dainty. When he was six, the young boy had decided to let his hair grow long for once tying them in neat pigtails. The image of him at the time had intrigued him yet scared him as well.

If he got rid of his whiskers, he looked very much like a girl. A very pretty girl.

Naruko Uzumaki instead of Naruto Uzumaki.

It was interesting yet undeniably odd as well.

Exiting the bathroom with a towel on his waist, Naruto walked to his wardrobe taking out a fresh pair of clothes- a dark blue T-shirt with the Konoha symbol on it and a pair of black sweatpants- to wear for the day. After putting on his clothes, the boy then went straight to bed hoping to catch a nap before carrying out his plans today.

Naruto had climbed on his bed wrapping himself in its sheets while snuggling in them. Grabbing his alarm clock on the bedstand, he had set the alarm three hours from now to ring him awake. It was imperative of him to not sleep in today even if it was a holiday.

Today marked the defeat of the Kyuubi no Yoko by the Fourth Hokage. An annual festival will be held in honour of the Yondaime and Naruto wanted to attend it like any other person.

It was also the day that he is treated even worse by the villagers than normal. On this day, mobs would gather together carrying sharp objects to harm him making him the target of a wild chase around the village until the ANBU stepped in to stop them. Adults would openly encouraged their children to outright bully him, throwing rocks and eggs at him hurting him in the process. His entire being is then abhorred by the populace as they insult and curse him by calling him vulgar names as well as being labeled a 'demon'.

The boy had never attended the festival in his entire life. As a young toddler, he had attempted to try only to be stopped by an ANBU member warning him to stay clear of the event and stay in doors. Naturally, Naruto rebelled of course. This lead to many complications, the chasing would be one of them.

Yet even as he stayed put in his apartment, the danger of him getting attacked was still ever present. Last year, there was an arsoning attempt in the afternoon on his apartment while he was in there. Thankfully said incident had been thwarted by the ANBU once more leaving his home untouched by burning flames. The year before was even worse. Naruto had been hospitalized for five days after getting stabbed in the shoulder by a Chunin with a posioned kunai on his way to hide at Teuchi's Ramen Shop. The Hokage told him that the Chunin was executed for his crimes but that doesn't make him feel any more safer.

Ever since he could remember, Naruto had tried finding out the reason he was so hated by almost everyone in the village. What was the connection between him and the Nine-Tailed Fox? He had researched zealously through thick and thin from books to even asking the Hokage himself yet sadly his endeavors lead to nothing but dead ends. Speculation after speculation, theory after theory, the fact still stands however; in the end he would most probably never know the truth.

"Maybe the matron at the orphanage was right..." Naruto thought.

He sighed thinking about his fate. No matter, he had already made his decision. He was going today. For his own safety as well as his curiosity.

Closing his eyes once more, he allowed himself to be welcomed by sleep again.

And thus drifted the boy to slumber.

Ting went the alarm clock prompting Naruto to press its button silencing it from its infernal ruckus. It was already 10.08 a.m. the sun finally up in the horizon. Rising up from his bed, Naruto made his way to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Breakfast was a quick affair; the boy had eaten cup ramen and two peanut butter sandwiches with a side of refrigerated milk.

Having already taken his shower earlier this morning, the boy went back to his room to change his clothes. He then put on a second-hand black jacket with orange stripes at the sleeves, dark blue jeans layering his sweat pants he was currently wearing, a pair of orange woolen gloves with a some holes on the both pairs and to top it all of a long lavender coloured scarf on his neck.

The scarf itself was a precious memento from his childhood days. It was one of the first gifts he had ever received from someone other than the Hokage even if it was out of pity and not for a special occasion. The scarf was a reminder that even if the whole world was against him, there would always be a few that would show him kindness and generosity.

And maybe they would even open their hearts and learn to love him too.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror next to his bed, Naruto was satisfied with his outfit of choice. He wasn't into fashion much but it was nice to wear something presentable for once. That orange jumpsuit was always a sore to the eyes.

He had no choice but to wear it daily of course; he had a 'mask' to maintain after all.

His choice of clothing aside, that wasn't the only reason he was standing in front of the mirror. Today, he had a plan to protect himself from the crowd at the same time attend the festival without interruptions.

"Henge no Jutsu!" said Naruto closing his eyes as he formed the Dog-Boar-Ram-Tiger hand seals in order.

Instead of a puff of smoke covering him as he performed the jutsu, his entire body had distorted in white light morphing itself into a different appearance entirely. Opening his eyes, a joyful smile appeared on his face at the prospect of his jutsu working smoothly. After two months of constant practice and research, he had finally created a solid transformation jutsu suitable for someone of his condition.

The original Henge no Jutsu was a low level transformation Genjutsu taught at the academy to students and was a necessary technique to perform in the Jutsu aspect of the graduation exam. With an abundance of Yang Chakra and little to no Ying Chakra a Genjutsu like that was impossible for Naruto to properly do. While the original technique consisted of only three hand signs, Naruto had added the Tiger Seal at the end changing the function of the Henge no Jutsu from a Genjutsu to a Ninjutsu thus making transformation a _**true**_ transformation.

Although it was an entirely different jutsu altogether, Naruto kept its namesake just for the sake of it. The only drawback of this technique was high chakra consumption- a problem which Naruto did not have- meaning if a Jounin were to use this technique, they could only perform it once a day at the risk of chakra exhaustion.

Looking at his reflection once more, Naruto was very impressed with his current image; it was like staring at an entirely different person. The form he held currently was a head taller with broader shoulders and a more slender figure compared to his actual self. His face was oval in shape, his nose small yet sharp while his cheeks lacked his trademark whiskers. His skin was a healthy light brown, blemishes null from it while his hair was short and straight, pale brown in colour. Instead of blue eyes, his eyes were now a bright green in colour. His features were still prominently feminine yet giving him the image of a flower boy.

The only thing that did not change was the clothes he was currently wearing. He could have henged his clothes as well but he was already comfortable with them so he didn't bother.

(AN: Naruto looks like Kagura Karatachi, the Yondaime Mizukage's grandson minus the scar and magenta eyes)

Naruto had to admit, his current form was a delight to the eyes.

Yuzuru Suisha was a very handsome boy indeed.

Scouting the street in front of his apartment through his window, Yuzuru made sure that there was no one in sight to see him getting out from Naruto's apartment. Satisfied with the lack of people around the neighbourhood, he then exited Naruto's apartment through the kitchen window and jumped on the adjacent building. Yuzuru had already mastered the tree climbing and water walking exercises after practicing them in his mindscape. However he would only be traveling on the rooftops of the buildings until he reached the outskirts of the village centre where the village was held. Yuzuru after all was not a ninja of Konoha; he was merely a tourist from a port town in the south east of Fire Country training to be a herbalist.

As he was about to reach his destination, his gaze had landed on the crowds of people walking through the streets dressed in all types of colours; painting life to the snow linen landscape below. Most of them wore traditional garments- the women wearing winter kimonos while the men wore winter yukatas underneath their haoris with clan markings on them for those belonging to a clan- while others like Yuzuru wore more modern outfits such as winter coats and jeans. Feeling that he needed to fit in with the crowd, Yuzuru decided to henge his clothing to a more traditional one.

After finding an empty alleyway to exit from, Yuzuru jumped twenty feet in the air twirling his body with the poise of an acrobat. He then landed on the ground without a sound in a graceful manner as he scrutinized his surroundings once more, making sure it was truly void of people. Confident with his observations, Yuzuru performed the Henge no Jutsu again his clothes now transformed. He was now wearing a dark purple kimono, a white coloured western style cloak adorned his shoulders, wooden slippers with thick woolen socks on his feet.

As he exited the alley, he made his way to the crowd and walked amongst them blending in as naturally as he could. So far there was nothing out of the ordinary. He smiled at a few girls his age walking in a group. They blushed and giggled amongst themselves when they saw him smile at them. To add fire to his smile, the boy gave a wink to the group further enticing them causing one or two of them to squeal in delight.

Yuzuru chuckled at their antics but the sudden realization of his situation shut him up as red tint appeared on his cheeks. It was not only girls his age however, he also got curious looks from older and younger girls glancing at his direction as well. Yuzuru felt self-conscious. He had never received so much positive attention as he had now. He knew that his current form was handsome but he didn't expect it to get that much of a reaction.

Conflicting emotions were wrestling for dominance in his chest leaving him confused on how to feel about it all. He was finally happy that he was being treated kindly by others but sadly all of this was just a cruel lie. If only they knew the truth of the boy behind the mask.

A familiar feeling of numbness was approaching Yuzuru as he tried his best to fight it. Lately, his real persona was able to fight of the anxiety attacks much better than before after practicing a form of meditation which was used as an intermediate chakra control exercise. He still heard the voices and saw the flashes of memories but now he was able to suppress them to a point where they do not bring him to a state of paralysis. At least the boy could avoid himself from breaking in front of a crowd.

He had to remember now; currently he was Yuzuru Suisha, a civilian boy who hailed from outside village wanting to enjoy the festivities today without interruption.

He was definitely not a scrawny-looking blond child treated terribly by the general public who was despised for something he had no knowledge of.

From a distance, the loud shouts of hawkers and the chattering of the villagers could be heard as they filled the air with a joyous atmosphere which could be felt by the heart. This year, the festival was held in Heroes' Square, a memorial park honouring the Leaf Shinobi who had fallen in the the last Three Great Shinobi Wars. This park was located right at the heart of the village next to the Hokage Tower, the Shodaime Hokage's Imperial Garden and the Konoha Clock Tower.

In the centre of the park was a stone statue of the Yondaime Hokage carrying his famous tri-pronged kunai in his hands and mouth as he posed in a way that he was squatting down, his right hand on the ground while his left was stretching up. His Hokage cape was carved in a way that made it look like it was being blown by the wind adding more detail to the already life-like looking statue.

Yuzuru marveled at the sight of the statue, his green orbs taking in the legendary display. Even if he'd seen it seen it many times before, the statue still took his breath away. It was as if the man himself was encased in stone, his glory forever eternalized for all to see.

Of all the Hokages of Konohagakure, Yuzuru could relate to the Fourth the most. They both were clanless orphans hailing from poor backgrounds as well as geniuses within their own right having created jutsus unique to the individual to the point that it could not be copied. It was said that the Yondaime was a blonde and had blue eyes. Yuzuru's original form had similar features but while the Fourth had a very masculine and handsome face Naruto was more feminine and if Yuzuru wanted to raise his true self's ego, he had to admit... He was undeniably cute, especially with the whisker marks on bis cheeks.

All in all, what connected them together the most was their undying determination to achieve their dreams. While Minato Namikaze wanted to be Hokage, Yuzuru wanted no more than to well... have precious people who he loved that loved him back and protect them till his dying breath. Yuzuru was not emotionally stunted; he knew exactly how love felt like but never in his life had he experienced the pureness of the emotion except with Sandaime-sama, the old man who had taken care of him from cradle to who he was now.

That was one of the few reasons why Yuzuru was still standing firm no matter the obstacles, the reason why he had not given up on life no matter how miserable it was for him. Because he believed with a faithful heart that one day... one day he'll find what he so yearns for.

 _And send glad tidings to the believers,_

 _For with difficulty there will come ease._

As the clock tower struck twelve noon ringing the large bells in the fifteen-storey building, the officiation of the festival began. Starting off with the beating of Taiko drums by a percussion ensemble from the Royal Institute of Arts and Theater, the Hokage went up an open stage in front of the statue and stood behind a podium in the centre of the stage. The people who gathered to watch the ceremony all became silent as they watch their leader in admiration as he was about to read his speech.

This prompted Yuzuru to be even more in awe with his grandfather-like figure. This was the first time he had ever seen the imposing authority that Jiji-san held such that his very presence was enough to silence a huge crowd and commend respect from them. He was lucky to know the old man personally. He was wise yet silly at times. He was strict in his scoldings yet caring when he comforts. Sometimes he would spoil him with books and trips to Ichiraku's if he was free on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. He was the only person to ever visit him in his small apartment every end of the month and appreciate his botany works and jutsu projects when he showed them to him. He knew the struggles he faced everyday at school, in public and at home and tried his very best to help him in subtle and sometimes open ways in order to back the villagers from eating on him like wolf to prey.

Truly, the Old Man was the only person who knew what lied behind the idiotic mask of Uzumaki Naruto and promised to keep it secret from anybody else until he was ready to reveal it.

"Citizens of Konoha! Lend me your ears and listen to my words. Today marks the 12th anniversary of the defeat of the Great Kyuubi no Yoko at the hands of our beloved Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze!" Hiruzen said loudly, his voice prideful with a hint of bittersweetness.

The declaration brought numerous reactions from the crowd. Most of them were ecstatic; cheering, clapping and jumping in joy at the news. A number of them wore neutral expressions, neither smiling nor frowning at the statement but were satisfied with the events that occurred. A few of them held sadness in their morbidity, eyes filled with tears while two or three were on the ground crying. These were the group of people that had lost their possessions and loved-ones on this fateful day as they merely attended the festival to find closure in their loss.

"For such an amazing feat performed by our late Fourth, it is only natural that we, the inhabitants of Konohagakure celebrate our victory against an immortal demon which has terrorized and destroyed countless of homes and lives marching the earth in cruel pride," Hiruzen paused for dramatic effect.

"Throughout the history of mankind, none has come close to subduing the Great Nine-Tailed Fox except for three great men, two of them were of our great Kages; Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime and of course Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime," he continued.

"When Senju Hashirama fought Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End, it was said that Madara the Fallen had summoned the Great Beast in battle, riding on it like a horse in order to defeat our beloved Shodaime. However, by the grace of The Almighty, even with a great demon by his side Uchiha Madara was unsuccessful in his attempt and had lost the battle. Fate had declared Senju Hashirama to be the victor on that day and thus as a final act of mercy towards the traitorous Uchiha, our beloved Shodaime had taken the traitor's life with honour and gave him a warrior's burial."

"However, while Senju Hashirama was burying the corpse of his fellow progenitor in an unmarked grave, the beast had managed to escape the clutches of the Shodaime's Mokuton sealing technique disappearing back to its summoning realm or where ever the Great Beast was before it was summoned," Hiruzen said in a serious tone.

"However twelve years ago, due to circumstances which to this day remain unknown, the Kyuubi had returned to the realm of men once more destroying everything in its path. The Great Beast had cursed its presence on our village, marking it the first location for its reign of terror," he continued, his voice in sorrow.

"Yet oh fellow citizens of Konoha! Even though we were the victims of such a painful tragedy, today, we are the true winners of the battle. We have deterred a great catastrophe from spreading across the lands and preserved the lasting peace we have gained after the Third Shinobi War. We have protected our village allowing our children and those who come after to continue our legacy as a great shinobi village and live on the Will of Fire passed down by our predecessors to us."

"In the midst of celebration, let us not forget those whose lives were lost on this day. Let us not forget those who gave their last breaths for the sake of the their homes and those whom they love. Whether they be civillian or shinobi, in the our eyes, they will forever be called matyrs and may they be given goodness and glad tidings in the Eternal Realm," Hiruzen said with a firm yet gentle tone as he closed his eyes in reminiscence.

"Oh people of Konoha! Let us not forget the sacrifice of the Yondaime who dealt the final blow and rid the world of the Great Beast at the cost of his life. Let us live by his examples in both morals and achievements. As always on this podium I utter this very words, I acknowledge the Yondaime as my better for he has done a deed that has surpassed any thing that I have achieved in my life; he has martyred for the village and indeed their is no end better for a Hokage than in protection of his home."

"Lastly, let us not forget the unsung heroes, the ones who are effected by the tragedy 'till this day. While we sleep in ease and live our lives in peace, these heroes remain in pain even as time goes by. Some are still in the hospital, their hopes of recovery almost null. Some of them are in our ranks, scars both mental and physical ever present that will never truly disappear. Some of them walk amongst us now and truly indeed I believe this particular group to be the true unsung heroes. For what is worst than not knowing that you've done the most yet still suffer for it? It brings my heart pain to know that the ones who were burdened with this pain are the ones who are forgotten by us all," Hiruzen said in emphasis regarding a particular someone, his voice coated in sadness as he looked towards the horizon and closed his eyes once more.

"However it may be, I hope and pray that this holiday will remind us about the true meaning of sacrifice, that we will forever be indebted to the ones who have passed on to the afterlife and the ones who are still alive with us. Heed my words carefully oh people of Konoha and remember them well. With that, I officially open the Yondaime's Festival! May the Will of Fire live in us all," he said gaining the cheers of the crowd as he went off the stage.

Yuzuru stared in awe at the retreating figure of his Jiji-san as his thoughts returned to what he said earlier on. He had been invested in his opening speech from the beginning until the end and was moved by his words. He felt his love for the village and his admiration for the Yondaime increase in many levels.

His mind wandered to think about the unsung heroes that his grandfather-like figure mentioned. He pitied them with all his heart. He could only imagine the pain that these people went through. To be in a situation where the scars of the past haunt you every second torturing you mentally and spiritually... He understood them very well.

They say that time heals all wounds but truthfully yet sadly, wounds like those will forever stain until the very last breaths.

And what did Jiji-san meant by the unsung heroes who walked amongst them and that they suffer the most pain? Were they civillians or were they shinobi? He knew that the Old Man was rather dramatic and poetic in speech because he was secretly a writer- he inspired Naruto to go into writing too after he read one of his most famous romance books 'A Flower on the Garden Wall'- but to use vague expressions in speech especially with regards to a generally known tragedy? The fact that the names of the ninjas who survived the attack and followed orders had also been written on memorial walls was proof that these heroes were recognized. Who exactly were the true unsung heroes?

And why didn't they know that they were the ones who helped out the most?

Curious questions appeared in the mind of a young disguised blonde yet they remained unanswered. He truly felt pity for these unsung heroes. They also did their very best to protect the village too, but why weren't they celebrated too? The worst part was the fact that their sacrifices had been forgotten by everyone else. It clenched his heart to know that.

As the people left the park square going about their business, the disguised boy stayed back. Tears were falling from his eyes as he thought about the forgotten ones. He knew what it was like to be set aside and overlooked by everyone around him but he was a nobody so it didn't matter much...

Right?

But these people, they were literally heroes. They should be showered in praise for their deeds and loved by crowds too. The ones in the hospitals with no hope of recovery should be visited by the people and be given gifts instead of being left alone while the others enjoy the holiday which they fought their lives for. The ones who have suffered psychological and physical damage should have statues built in their glory while their heroics are taught in schools to ensure that the future generation never forget their sacrifices.

And to the ones who were amongst them, the ones who suffered the most, they should be given the greatest honour of it all.

To be in the hearts of the people, loved and cared for.

Yuzuru wept quietly, his tears falling for the sake of the ones left behind. His mind wandered off to a question that pierced his heart further; will he be treated the same way too if he was in their position too? Will it be that no matter how much he gave and sacrificed, would he still be hated, disregarded and ignored?

Was his life truly going to be like the Prince of Misfortune?

Wiping his tears gently, Yuzuru determined at heart had made his decision. He will be the one to honour the unsung heroes. He will be the one to appreciate them and try his very best to remind others about them.

It was the very least he could do from the goodness of his heart.

After making a solemn vow in front of the Yondaime Hokage's statue and uttering a short prayer for the ones who had fallen, Yuzuru made his way to the festivities just outside the square. There were all kinds of stalls set up by the side of the road coming in bright colours painting the snow covered ground like paint to an empty canvas. The atmosphere was very much like a summer night market albeit the sun in the horizon and cold temperatures freezing around.

Stalls that were serving hot cooked meals as well as traditional winter delicacies were at every corner as many of the festival-goers were queuing up to buy some food. There were also stalls selling fashionable winter clothing and other accessories which many of the female visitors flooded due to the beautiful designs and discounts given. Some stalls had games prepared similar to that of carnivals which attracted the attention of young children and couples who played them with hopes that they could win the many prizes displayed on the shelves in the stalls.

"... did you hear about the hunt failing today?"

This caught the attention of Yuzuru as he was making his way to one of the game stalls. He looked around and saw that the question came from two men wearing winter yukatas with Konoha handbands on their heads standing in the middle of the road. Pretending to enjoy the atmosphere around him by watching a few children playing a game of tag, he perked his ears in caution in order to listen to the conversation between the two shinobis.

"Kaeda told me that the group he followed scouted his apartment area and couldn't find him," said the man who was wearing a dark blue yukata and had an eye patch on his left eye.

"That little bastard," said his companion who was wearing a grey yukata and had a large ugly scar on his left cheek with complete disdain.

"Well, they wanted to break into his apartment but Yoko, the sensor guy in the group told Kaeda and the rest that there were three ANBU guarding the apartment so they didn't have a chance," the half-blind man said in a disappointed tone.

"But the funny thing was that Yoko couldn't detect anyone in the apartment so the guys thought the son of a bitch was outside. Naturally, they scouted else where but the bastard just disappeared."

"The hell does that mean? You can't hide from a sensor unless you used high level Genjutsu which I doubt the bloody idiot would know," the other man replied his friend angrily.

"I know right. Yoko was always a brilliant sensor but honestly even with the bastard's ability to not get caught while he's being chased this is still something very worrying. Maybe he manifested-"

"Enough with the stupid conclusions. The boy's an idiot, there is no way that he can manifest any of his powers. We made sure of that. Our friends at the academy said that there was no change in his progress except that he's getting worse than before," the scarred man said.

"Of course," there was a small pause between the conversation as the men looked at the direction of the playing children. A smile appeared on the lips of the half blind man as one of the children, a girl around the age of four approached him.

"Daddy, can we go to that stall over there," the young girl said as he pointed to one of the game stalls. "I want to play~" she added childishly as she looked as his father with puppy dog eyes.

"Alright Kirei-chan we'll go there okay," the man said to his daughter as he patted her head affectionately which earned him a cute giggle from the little girl.

"Goodbye, Kobayashi-san. I'll see you at work on Monday," said the half-blind man to his friend earning him a grunt as they parted ways.

Yuzuru's heart was beating frantically while he was eavesdropping the conversation. The disguised boy was experiencing mixed feelings as he recalled the information he had just learned. He was relieved that he had managed to avoid being hunted down and assassinated this year but at the same time was angry at the notion. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of his jutsu being impervious to sensors. He concluded that if sensors could not detect him than most probably his transformation technique was effective against Doujutsu as well.

However a frown immediately replaced his smile as he thought about what the two men said. What did they mean by him having powers? Was it a Kekkai Genkai unique to the now extinct Uzumaki Clan? But why were they so fearful of him unlocking it? Wasn't Uzushiogakure allied with the Hidden Leaf?

Why hadn't he read much about his ancestors in the first place?

He berated himself for his lack of concern towards his family's history. He needed to ask Jiji-san about it. He was sure that he knew about it.

Shrugging the information about the assassination attempt on him like it was yesterday's news from his thoughts, Yuzuru continued his path towards the game stall he wanted to go to just now.

Yuzuru looked at the other stalls selling plushies of the Yondaime and miniature Kyuubi in chibi form and sweatdropped. The Yondaime he could understand but the Nine-Tailed Fox? Wasn't there a taboo about owning one? He sighed in defeat.

"Salesmen and their shameless natures. Turning everything to profit," he said to himself.

While he was about to head off once more his green eyes caught a familiar figure walking towards him that made his heart beat excitedly as his anxiety levels were rising up the charts. Yuzuru's legs wanted to turn around and run away but he hardened them to stay firm to the ground.

Yuzuru watched as the figure who was a girl with blueberry blue hair cut to a hime style walked towards him. She was wearing a light lavender colour yukata made out of premium silk with winter flower motives embroidered on them. Her skin was fair like milk, blemishes null from them. Her face was a gentle beauty yet it carried a sense of nobility notable amongst those of blueblood.

However what caught Yuzuru's attention the most was her lilac coloured eyes, a cloudy paleness present in them, elegant yet delicate in nature. It was like staring at the full moon with all its glory on a clear winter night, the stars above like fences protecting its purity from mere mortals below.

Even her name was sweet when it was uttered on his lips, giving him a warm fuzzy sensation like eating spring apples pickled in honey every time he said it.

Hinata Hyuga.

The girl who had given him his precious winter scarf years ago.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Secret and A Chance

Hitomi Himura was having a very bad day.

Well to be fair, it started off rather fine actually waking up at 5:15 a.m. which was already a routine for her ever since becoming the Hokage's secretary few years ago. However, the reason for her getting up this early today was entirely different from normal days. At 5:18 a.m. as she grabbed the alarm clock on her bedstand squinting her eyes while trying to read the time- blame her sleepyhead for having difficulty seeing things in the dark- she had then remembered and accepted the fact that it was today.

The Yondaime Hokage's Festival.

Ever since receiving the huge revelation about Uzumaki Naruto days ago, she had experienced restless nights and loss of appetite due to the sick truth regarding the Hokage's favourite pseudo-grandchild. Yes she knew about him being a... Jinchuriki but for him to be the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero was indeed to say the least, shocking.

Not only that but knowing that the day he was born was also the day that his parents had died sacrificing their lives for him, it was just too much for the young Senior Chūnin to take in all at once.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After answering Hokage-sama's question regarding her honest views of the young blonde and the revealing of his dark secrets, he had then assigned to her an S-rank mission which only someone of her unique position could perform without the serious repercussions and backlash which came with it.

To act as Naruto's shadow protecting him from threats both inside and outside the village using any means necessary.

At first Hitomi was startled at the order; for a Chunin to be given an S-rank mission was almost unheard of. However, surprise turned to elation at the prospect of the accomplishment written on her record. It would leave a good mark if she wanted to head the Intelligence Division in Special Corps- she would even be qualified to take over her father's position in the future!

Yet other than for personal benefit, what made her ever more determined to accept the mission was rather simple really. It was to rewrite the many wrongs committed by her predecessors against an innocent child who was given a burden beyond that of anyone even the strongest of men. Ironically, he should have been treated as a great hero for his sacrifices to the village as well as the whole of Fire Country. Not only that, he should have been regarded as royalty like her by the people as well.

Sadly, that was not the case.

It was no secret to her that his father was Minato Namikaze thus making him a Kage's son. In the royal courts of Hi no Kuni, he would have been of equal stature to the aristocrats who rule below the Daimyo as Governers, Barons and Clan Heads in their respective communities. After the establishment of Konohagakure by Hashirama Senju, it was agreed upon by her great-grandfather at that time that the Hokage would possess the same political status and power as the Barons and Governers of the country. In addition to having admistrative influence, the Hokage would also have a permanent seat in the 'Quarter Council', a political body made of selected Governers, Barons and Ninja Clan Heads that acts as advisors to the Daimyo with regards to the affairs of the nation.

However, the fact that he was the son of Minato Namikaze did not warrant a strong enough reason for him to be treated like a member of the royal family.

It was because of Uzumaki Kushina.

She was the only child of the Lord of the Maelstorm, the highest authority in Whirlpool Country before the destruction of Uzushiogakure during the Second Shinobi War.

Uzu no Kuni consisted of many islands scattered in the Eastern Sea as well as long stretches of land located south-east of Hi no Kuni- most notable would be the Land of Waves. Putting the land mass together, the size of Whirlpool Country was roughly the size of Mizu no Kuni with one fifth of its population.

After the fall of Uzushiogakure at the hands of the Northern Creed and their defeat by the remnants of the United Front, Hitomi's grandfather had temporarily annexed Whirlpool Country for peacekeeping until Kushina was ready to reestablish her family's reign in said nation.

(AN: Northern Creed - a triple alliance consisting of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure and their respective countries' noblemen)

(AN: United Front - an alliance consisting of Konohagakure, Takigakure, Uzushiogakure, and their respective countries' noblemen)

However, the Hokage had told Hitomi that when Naruto's mother was of age, she had rejected her rightful place as the nation's leader. Instead of returning to Uzu no Kuni, she had decided to stay in Konohagakure and pass down the responsibility of leading her former home to her first child as she wanted to continue the legacy of her Aunt Mito by establishing the Uzumaki Clan once more in Hi no Kuni.

As Hiruzen continued to disclose several SS-ranked secrets regarding the young blonde to Hitomi, she had come to the realization that not only was Naruto the born legacy of the Yondaime Hokage, he was also the sole heir to a powerful nation allied to her family as well.

A boiling rage appeared within the young noblewoman's chest as the truth of boy dawned upon her. While Naruto's deceased family had practically given up their worldly lives to ensure the protection and survival of their allies, these same allies had forsaken their sacrifices and had essentially spit on their charity by oppressing the very last member of their bloodline. Even if they were ignorant of the young Uzumaki's lineage, their treatment of an innocent orphan was absolutely disgusting beyond measures.

Was it not mentioned in the Books; holy and blessed they are that one of the worst kinds of sins was to oppress an orphan?

Did they not fear divine retribution upon their calling at Death's door?

Not only was she angry at the citizens of Konohagakure for their malevolence against Naruto, her displeasure had also extended to the Hokage as well. Of all her years of serving the Sandaime, never had she been cross at the old man even with his rather quirky flaws. To hear the reality of Naruto's situation uttered on the Hokage's lips; it was just too much for her to bear.

Even if she was taught to be calm and collected when facing difficult situations as a child the circumstance at hand was wearing down her patience thin, driving her emotions to its breaking point. All she wanted to do after knowing the true story of Uzumaki Naruto was to hurt those responsible for his pain as well as those who turned a blind eye from his suffering.

But she was raised better than that.

Perhaps the Hokage had his reasons for leaving Naruto to fend for himself against the reality of this cruel world.

Perhaps.

It however did not make her feel any better.

To her, it was still inexcusable. Regardless of the logic and stakes behind it.

Yet she understood the need for the status quo to remain as it was until further notice.

She recalled the after-conversation she had with the Sandaime.

...

 _The Hokage sighed tiredly, his face a mess of emotions. For him to reveal Naruto's lineage and other need-to-know information on the boy in one go to his secretary was the least to say, physically and spiritually taxing. The veteran ninja had slumped his shoulders after his exposition, feeling a slight tension on his upper back in the process- a by-product of him sitting still in an office for more than five hours daily. All he wanted to do now was light up his favourite pipe and puff all the way 'till his office was covered with smoke like the mists of Kirigakure but sadly, due to the predicament at hand, it was best to keep his office ash-free for now._

 _He was getting to old for this job._

 _Hitomi's face remained passive and emotionless throughout the conversation, still in mild-shock at the Hokage's revelation. Currently, she was still trying to comprehend the mind-numbing information given to her by the Sandaime on a young Uzumaki Naruto but honestly, it was just too much for her to handle at the moment. A flurry of emotions had rushed through her head overwhelming her train of thought as she tried to put the pieces together, a puzzle indeed it was not. The realization of Naruto's situation was becoming much more clearer for her to see but by Kami it wasn't a pretty sight for anyone else to be._

 _"Hitomi I-"_

 _"Why..." Hitomi said in audible whisper._

 _"Please list-"_

 _"Why Ji-san? Why did you leave him alone to suffer like that?!" she continued interrupting the Hokage, each word said louder than the first piercing the old man's heart with each syllable._

 _Hitomi was furious. Never had she lashed out at anyone as so especially towards her own boss and grandfather-like figure. Even in situations when the odds aren't in her favor, Hitomi would always find a calculative and rational way to solve a problem without going about in an emotional manner. Her own father had even regarded her as a modal for the 'perfect politician' when he observed her interactions with the nobles, both old and young during court sessions back at home as a young child. Moreover, she was also a natural when it came to etiquette and protocol thus she was able to act accordingly even in the most troublesome of political circumstances no matter how gruesome they were._

 _However, the knowledge which had just encompassed her very conscious, such was beyond even someone like her to handle diplomatically._

 _"While I, Hitomi Himura, daughter of Asahi Himura, Princess of Hi no Kuni, third in line to the throne of the Daimyo live my life in comfort and luxury, a boy who was born of equal status-" she cut herself, tears trailing down her beautiful face as she clutched the folds of her silk robes tight in an attempt to calm herself down._

 _"He.. he... I-" Hitomi stammered in her speech as she, which was unknowingly the first time sobbed in front of someone who was not directly related to her by blood._

 _Hiruzen felt an enormous guilt weighing on his chest as his gaze laid upon his crying grand daughter breaking down in front of him. He knew that the secrets he revealed to her was absolutely heart-wrenching but never had he expected Hitomi to react this way. His own vision was getting blurry as a few drops of his own melancholy threatened to escape his eyes._

 _"He-he's suffered so much," she added while trying to construct sentences without stuttering, "N-n-no one and I mean no one sh-should ever have to live that w-way," she said as she gasped for air._

 _She couldn't take it anymore. She was sitting on her knees crying her heart out for the boy with sun-kissed hair who wanted nothing more than to be loved and cared for. Wiping her tears was of no use as they flowed like streams and rivers at the advent of spring. Even her nose was not spared of her sadness as transparent mucus-like liquid ran down both her nostrils like someone with the flu._

 _Hiruzen stood up from his seat and immediately engulfed Hitomi in a warm and tight hug whilst comforting her, his own eyes filled with tears. He too had never actually cried even as countless of his loved ones had passed on to the next life. The only few times he had ever shed tears was after the death of his dear wife Aika and..._

 _Forcing himself away from his thoughts, he refused to remember that now. Not when he needed to right out a wrong he was partially responsible for._

 _"Why wasn't he t-treated as a he-hero? Wh-why was he ostracized for something that wasn't his fault? Do they kn-know who he truly is? For God's sake he's carrying a b-burden so great that..." she took in a deep breath as she continued mumbling to herself, "He's s-supposed to l-live like me but he..."_

 _She knew from the usual reports given by the ANBU what Naruto had to go through in his daily life. She knew the pain and misery the boy experienced after hearing rumours about him from civillians and shinobi alike as she passed by the markets and the shoplots in her free time. She knew about his hospitalizations and injuries from the Hokage and his unfair treatment and bullying by the teachers and students at the academy._

 _Then she realized the **truth**._

 _She knew **all** about it._

 _But what did she do?_

 _ **Nothing**. Absolutely **nothing**._

 _And thus the girl who had always been the definition of 'prim' and 'proper' wailed for the first time in her adult life -the last being when she was just a toddler- not caring of what she looked like or that the Hokage was hugging and comforting her like how a grandfather was towards his grandchild. She was guilty. Guilty of being like the others. How ironic it was; she was angry at them for oppressing him yet at the same time she too ignored his very existence and treated him as a passing thought shrugging it so so casually- not more, not less._

 _When she first arrived in village to start her career as a ninja, her curiosity perked on the lonely blond child who was stared at intensely by the adults and ostracized by the children as he walked past the streets of Konohagakure in pain. Her innocence at the time had whispered on to her to approach the boy but her political conscience had forbade it. Based on her observations of the boy's interactions with the general public, she knew coming close to him would affect her reputation badly. Hence due to that, she disregarded the idea entirely and continued to live her life in the village not knowing that an honest and small smile was enough to help the dear boy._

 _Yet sadly, she had brushed him off leaving him to his misery for those many years that passed._

 _When the Hokage had offered her the position to be his secretary, the whisker-marked boy had entered her life once more as she noticed his familial-like relationship with the Hokage. She too was close with the Hokage on a more personal note, but never had she caught sight of even a strand of his golden locks in one of her visits to his office or family home. At that time, the rumours about him were getting wilder and wilder saying mildly that he was a no good troublemaking idiot. However, as her interactions with him increased with time, she saw an intelligence beyond that of a child- even that of an adult- within his speech and habits that amazed her 'till this day. The boy was rather fond of reading, going to the Hokage's Tower after school just to visit the old man's personal library and commit to his 'research'. At first she scoffed the idea of a mere twelve-year old boy researching on sciences of the shinobi and non-shinobi kind meant for those in the Scholar's Guild but yet again she was proven wrong once more._

 _A few months ago, Hitomi was fortunate enough to have read through one of his research papers. Naruto was very protective of his work and refused to let others see his writings- Hitomi tried peaking once, only for him to quickly close his notebook and give her an empty stare- except to the Hokage who he often talks to relating to his studies. It was mostly luck on that particular day when she found his cute notebook with cartoon horses drawn on the cover in the library due to him possibly forgetting to bring it home with him after closing time._

 _In her honest opinion, if one looked beyond the childish handwriting and pencil marks, the content and language used in the book was truly astonishing; it was like reading a tome produced by an accomplished professor from the capital especially with regards to the theories and solutions written._

 _At a glance, it was difficult to take the book seriously. It was that kind of very thick exercise books one buys for their daughters' math classes at primary school. The fact that the book was bright pink further adds to its absurdity. Yet at the title it was read as "A Methodical Approach To Yang-based Genjutsu: Theories and Concepts" and below it was penned "A Study by Uzumaki Naruto"._

 _Humoring her curiosity, she then opened the notebook and flipped through the pages. To her surprise, half of the book was already in-use filled with diagrams, tables, arguments, counter-arguments, theories and detailed explanations for the understanding of the mature reader. The only thing it lacked was an index but other than that it was an actual reference book._

 _Hitomi in essence, was mainly a Genjutsu and Ninjutsu user with her talents shining more in the illusion department. She had studied under various tutors most notably the Elders of the Kurama Clan as well as Yuhi Kurenai, the Genjutsu Mistress and self-proclaimed 'Ice Queen' of Konoha. She knew the fundamentals and theories of Genjutsu like the back of her hand performing them with such precision which earned her great praises from her teachers. She, like Kurenai had the potential to surpass the Greatest of Uchihas with regards to their mastery on the shinobi art which in a few more years was almost a certainty._

 _Hence, for Naruto to proclaim that it was very possible to perform Genjutsu with Yang Chakra instead of Yin Chakra was in itself blasphemy in her eyes. It contradicted the well-known principles of the art entirely, bringing forth a new field of study untouched by man, virgin in nature. It was ridiculous and too good to be true._

 _Yet as she read in depth through this young genius's work, she was too lost at words._

 _The boy had made a breakthrough worthy of a Royal Scholar of the Imperial Institute._

 _She didn't go home that evening, pouring her attention completely on the book in her possession. What mesmerized her the most from its contents was the ' **Mind Castle Jutsu** ', a jutsu which allowed its user to simulate reality in the user's head without effecting the user's physical self in the very slightest similar to that of lucid dreaming at the same time allowing the user to use physical chakra which was not possible in normal Genjutsu._

 _From that day forth, her views on Genjutsu had changed entirely._

 _Hence after that incident, various questions began flooding through her mind regarding the boy. She knew from the Hokage that he was the 'Dead-Last' of his class and was mediocre at best in his studies at school however outside of the confinements of the academy, he was a totally different person having intelligence fit for an intellectual prodigy._

 _The Hokage's lack of action was also rather puzzling to her. The old man was well aware of Naruto's 'true' self and did not care of his academy results; the boy having failed the graduation test twice already. Why hadn't he intervened with the obvious sabotage already? He was the Hokage. He had the executive power to rule the village in an authoritatian fashion. But why did the transgressions against Naruto persist and continue?_

 _Oh curiosity, oh curiosity._

 _Who was he really?_

 _Was he Naruto, the loud troublemaking happy-go-lucky goofball who loves pranking and eating ramen, the same one who always shouts that he'll be Hokage one day?_

 _Or was he someone else?_

 _To her he was an anomaly, unknown and hidden well from the world, a secret he was undiscovered and lost from the touches of reality. On his face was a mask, flawless and smooth like porcelain it was, void of scratches and cracks that come to pass._

 _But even the hardest of crystals may break under pressure._

 _Her mind wondered once more to the question given to her by the Hokage before she accepted the S-ranked mission. If she were to be honest to herself, she hadn't answered his question as truthfully as she should have._

 _She didn't think of him as the mischievous and socially inept child she said he was._

 _It was just her rejecting the truth after denying it all those years._

 _Because of her pride as a 'politician', she did not relent until it was too late._

 _For the first time in her entire life, she was on the wrong side of things._

 _What was it that lied beneath the brightful smile of Uzumaki Naruto?_

 _Hitomi continued to cry on her knees for fifteen minutes as the Hokage sat beside her accompanying his secretary in silence. Taking in deep breaths, she opted to recollect her thoughts and concentrate on the crux of issue in order to calm herself down. The Hokage who understood what she was trying to do, stood up from his position and walked back to his desk. Hitomi's eyes then followed the old man as he moved towards his chair and with a reluctant sigh she also stood up and followed suit._

 _"Come have a seat dear Hitomi-chan," said the Hokage in a calm yet solemn voice, gesturing the young lady to sit on the chair in front of his desk._

 _Immediately, she went towards him and complied to his request. The girl then sat herself on the chair as she placed her two hands on her lap, her back straight and chest up in a polite manner. Feeling comfortable and more relaxed then before, she then lifted her face up and gave the Hokage a neutral yet kind look. She was ready to have her questions answered._

 _Her face was still a mess though._

 _Thankfully, ninja-friendly make-up products existed so it wasn't that bad._

 _"I cannot tell you all the details for now of course as naturally the issue at hand is an extremely sensitive one. But what I can reveal to you is that..." he paused for a moment opening his desk drawer in order to take his other beloved pipe-the Hokage had about five scattered around his office, "is well..." he grumbled in annoyance as he misplaced his 'special' tobacco supply, one that he smokes when the days at the office were rough. "Excuse me for a moment, Hitomi-chan," said Hiruzen as he continued his search._

 _There was a slight twitch on Hitomi's face as she watched her beloved grandfather-like figure muttering childish curses as he looked for his missing tobacco in one of the desk drawers which was filled with paperwork. She of course held no appreciation towards her boss's unhealthy habits and chided him gently if he did it too often in her sight. However, she understood the need for a relief- even if it was detrimental to his health- once in a while. Being Hokage was no easy task._

 _"Left side second row," she said in an all-too professional tone._

 _"Ah yes, thank you very much," said Hiruzen to Hitomi casually._

 _Fitting the crushed tobacco into the mouth of the pipe, Hiruzen then pressed the leaves with his right thumb causing the tobacco to heat up and burn in the process. Satisfied with his handiwork, the man then placed the pipe between his lips, huffing each puff happily as a small yet sad smile appeared on his face._

 _"Now Hitomi-chan, as one born in the royal courts of the Imperial City, you of all people would understand the fine details in politics a commoner could not," started Hiruzen as he released a cloud of smoke in the air._

 _"Your point being Hokage-sama?" replied Hitomi in a curious tone._

 _"The first time I met you, I remembered a little girl wearing bright blue silken robes who was brave enough to rebut me as I spoke, a feat not even the more experienced Jounin here could do without feeling the jitters mind you, in order to fulfill her dream to become a ninja," he said, his eyes looking at her with nostalgia._

 _"Indeed," she said as a faint blush appeared on her face, her gaze facing down in embarrassment._

 _"On that day, I saw something within you which I have not seen in others. Unlike the rest of the nobles I have dealt with throughout my entire career as Hokage, you strike me as almost if not equal to me in the arena of this game of thrones we play while you were but a child that time," added Hiruzen, his eyes watching the patterns of the smoke forming beautiful shapes in the air._

 _"Th-thank you Hokage-sama," Hitomi said, stammering slightly at the compliment knowing how much it meant."You have grown into a fine young adult from that little girl you were back then. Your wisdom has assisted me many times with the administration of this village as well as in strengthening the relations between the Royal Palace and Konoha. Such is a reason why I gave you the position as my secretary in the first place."_

 _"I thought it was my father who convinced you to give me this position so that I would be 'closer to safety' as he says," she said wonder and a slight tease tone to her voice._

 _Hiruzen chuckled. "That too I suppose. But that wasn't the main reason of course," he continued._

 _"Of course Hokage-sama," she said rolling her eyes playfully._

 _"Now then, let us construct a situation based on known-variables that you and I are rather familiar with," Hiruzen said as he clapped his hands once, indulging himself in his 'professor mode' persona. "Suppose that your late grandfather had produced a third heir from a seamstress coming from the Land of Grass in secret, the only ones knowing would be his Second Field Scribe and a Decorated Captain of the Imperial Guard. While your father and uncle are raised as scions to the Chrysanthemum Throne, your hypothetical uncle would be raised as a commoner learning the trade of his mother while ignorant of his father's origin, is this correct?"_

 _Hitomi nodded affirming the Hokage's statement._

 _"However due to some odd twist of fate, the Second Field Scribe's home was robed and a scroll containing the origins of your pseudo-uncle was sold to Grass Country. With this knowledge at hand they are then able to track down your pseudo-uncle and force him to claim his rightful bloodline from the Royal House even if he refused," Hiruzen added._

 _"Now my question is, will your supposed-uncle have the right to claim his inheritance if his case was brought to trial in the Imperial Court under the jurisdiction of the House of Scholars and the Quarter Council?" asked Hiruzen._

 _"Yes. Based on the Old Laws of our Monotheistic faith brought by The Sage, he would win the case most definitely," Hitomi answered._

 _"And what if we were to say, that your father opposed the courts decision protesting under the grounds of not following the Absentees Principle of Primogeniture, what would be the result?" he asked further._

 _(AN: Absentees Principle of Primogeniture - a common law originating from Wind Country which states that if a child was born out of wedlock or in an unknown circumstance [whereby the parents of the child had not reported their marriage to the leader of the community or to the community itself e.x. Elopement] the inheritance of the child may be held questionable)_

 _"A Grand Assembly must be held consisting of not only the House of Scholars and the Quarter Council in presence, but the National Tribunal and the Commoners Ground as well. The trial must also be debated for a minimum of 17 days before a decision is made while the Daimyo and his heirs will be able to veto the decision for a maximum of three times."_

 _"And what if your hypothetical uncle were to be assassinated in between the trials?" Hiruzen asked in a serious voice._

 _"Then.. Then there would be a definite collapse in our country's executive system due to the security leak with the possibility of not only a civil war happening within our borders between my father's loyalists and opportunistic nobles claiming **Qisās** in blood, but a war between Fire Country and Grass Country as well," she said, shivering at the thought._

 _(AN: Qisās - a jurisdictional principle originating from Islamic and Jewish traditions which states that a victim of a transgression may inflict an equal amount of pain to his oppressor as a relief however forgiveness is always the better option [An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth] )_

 _Hiruzen nodded, satisfied with her secretary's answer._

 _"How much do you know about the remnants of the armies of Whirlpool Country?" asked Hiruzen._

 _Hitomi paused for a moment, her eyes looking above at the office's ceiling as if looking for inspiration._

 _"If I'm not mistaken, the remaining loyal military-trained citizens of Uzu no Kuni from both the country and the hidden village have sworn an oath of fealty to my grandfather to which they and their descendants would serve Hi no Kuni in any way possible until the heir of the Maelstorm Lord returned to claim his or her rightful throne..." she said, each word getting softer at the end as her mind wandered in attention at the context of her statement._

 _The realization hit her like a ton of bricks._

 _"Good. Now then, was the oath accepted by your grandfather, his decision witnessed and passed upon by The General Assembly forming the Accords of Protection which is archived officially in the Royal House?" asked Hiruzen critically._

 _Hitomi nodded blankly while a sharp pain pierced the insides of her stomach. She finally understood why Naruto's origins were kept tight-lipped with only the Hokage and most probably her uncle and father knowing._

 _"There are approximately 25 million people living in Fire Country with approximately 2.7 million of them having had ninja or military training. Out of that 2.7 million, the former citizens of Whirlpool Country would number around 120,000. While the bulk of them are currently inhabiting the former areas belonging to Uzu no Kuni, 20,000 them had immigrated elsewhere in Fire Territory with 8,000 of them inhabiting Konohagakure as fully fledged ninjas. Since Naruto is Uzumaki Kushina's only direct living descendant, the Accords of Protection are still in effect. Now tell me Hitomi-chan, what is the most troubling clause contained in the agreement?"_

 _"The... The.. ar-armies *gulps* l-lo-loyal t-to the heir shall re-retaliate in op-open warfare if the heir was *pauses momentarily and gulps slightly* tr-transgressed against," Hitomi said shakingly as she felt numbness spread throughout her body._

 _"Indeed," Hiruzen agreed in an emotionless tone. However so, the stiffness of his muscles were betraying his actual thoughts._

 _Taking in a deep breath on his pipe, the man had allowed the toxic yet soothing sensations of smoke to flow through the insides of his frail-looking body. The smoke was then withheld in his chest until his lungs experienced a burning pain similar to that of performing a Katon jutsu for the first time signaling the need to release it in the air. After the release, pain is then replaced by pleasure as the numbing agent contained in the tobacco would have already acted out properly producing hormones in the brain that calmed the nerves of the smoker down._

 _Such was a parable- however misleading, for those who seek wisdom in the saying 'With difficulty, come ease'._

 _"Based on these Accords, Uzumaki Kushina was then brought to Hi no Kuni specifically to Konohagakure due to her only living relative Uzumaki Mito being present in the village at that time. Her flight to Konohagakure was kept a silent affair, however like most things relating to the General Assembly, the knowledge was easily accessible to anyone skilled enough to dig in the right places,"_

 _"At the age of twelve, an attempt to kidnap the scion of Whirlpool was made by Kumogakure who sought to claim the Uzumaki bloodline for themselves. However their plans came to an immediate halt when a Genin by the name of Minato Namikaze single-handedly thwarted the attempt by knocking the three Kumo Jounin kidnappers out while saving the princess in the process,"_

 _"However, even if the kidnapping was unsuccessful, when word of the incident got out to the public, the news was not pleasantly received by the Uzu populace at all. Their armies were prepared to strike at a moment's notice, the capital, several cities and even Konohagakure were already compromised as a coup attempt was already on the way. It was only when Kushina having met with, in secret, the leaders of the coup accompanied by myself and your grandfather did they deescalate the plans for the attacks after being ordered to by the girl by without protest," Hiruzen said._

 _"Of course precautionary measures in the defense of our country have already been taken when the Accords were drawn, however even if we won the losses would cripple Hi no Kuni completely and make it vulnerable to our enemies. Shikaku Nara had even admitted that the success rate of the coup being possible was at 63.7 percent,"_

 _"Does the Commander know about Naruto's history?" Hitomi said in calmly, having relaxed after the ordeal._

 _"He was not briefed on the information at all, but I'm not surprised if he did. It may just be too 'troublesome' for him to know so he pretends he doesn't," he answered._

 _"The only ones who know the full truth of the situation is myself, you, your father, your uncle, Jiraiya of the Sannin, Dog #001 and Cat #007 of the ANBU," he confirmed._

 _"As the old forgotten saying goes; 'If none can love more than how an Uchiha loves than none can be more loyal than an Uzumaki when he makes a promise or swears and oath.' Unlike here in Fire Country where a majority of us adhere by the faith of The Sage based on the interpretation of the Old Ones, the people of Uzu no Kuni follow a different sect of the religion known as the Twelve Followers of Arashi. This sect honours the Sage and His Descendants for spreading the message amongst the people as well as the secrets of Jutsu, sanctifying them as the Chosen Children," Hiruzen added, telling the history of the Uzumaki Clan to the young lady._

 _"The inhabitants of Whirlpool Country consider the Uzumaki Clan as the patron family of their lands. Hence, because of the Creed of Loyalty which is passed down generation after generation in the clan, the people of Uzu had also decided to adopt the clan's creed thus binding themselves to servitude to the Uzumaki as long as the sun rises from the East and sets in the West," he explained._

 _"In short, while the Hyuuga have their Branch House, the Uzumaki in turn have a whole nation as their servants," ended Hiruzen._

 _"I may be well-versed on political issues concerning Konohagakure and Hi no Kuni, but how is it possible for the Whirlpool loyalists to be ignorant of Naruto's ancestry when his last name is literally Uzumaki?" she asked, baffled by the obvious clue on Naruto's heritage._

 _Hiruzen sighed. "Most of them assumed Naruto to be an orphan who was given the last name because of his unknown origins and that he lacked one. At a glance, Naruto lacked the physical traits typically found in pureblooded Uzumaki; their red hair and purplish eyes. This further strengthens the argument that the boy is an impostor."_

 _"Ever since the information on Naruto being a Jinchuriki was leaked the day he was born, the Whirlpool Loyalists of this village took his birth as blasphemous against the Uzumaki name and sought to kill him themselves. Many of them had to be arrested and a small number assassinated in order to keep Naruto safe."_

 _"Then why wasn't his heritage announced immediately after the reveal of his burden?!" Hitomi asked with a slight outburst at the Hokage._

 _"And why wasn't he given to the Loyalists to be raised and taken care of? They would have treated him as a prince he rightfully deserves to be! He wouldn't have to suffer in this village that had, I apologize to say Hokage-sama... In this village that had forsaken him... Betraying him and his parents... Ju-just why?" Hitomi said in a flurry of emotions; anger, sadness and sympathy. She wanted to know the truth from the Hokage._

 _"Because if Naruto were to be given to the Loyalists, he would be made a symbol and weapon of war as an act of revenge against the former Northern Creed causing another Shinobi War to erupt," the Hokage said in a no-nonsense tone with a hint of regret at the end._

 _"What difference does it make with him being in Konoha then?" she rebutted once more, her voice getting quieter with each word._

 _At Hitomi's question, Hiruzen became silent. He knew to well that the answer he gave her was extremely vague. Since he already revealed more to Hitomi than he ever had to his own official advisors, should he tell her the real reason?_

 _Taking in a deep breath, he resolved to tell her why._

 _"There... there is a prophecy you see, one involving the boy..." he mummured._

 _"Prophecy? What kind of prophecy...?" she asked, her mind saturated with curiousity._

 _"I... I cannot tell you all the contents for I am under a summoner's blood oath, but what I can tell you is that three days before Naruto's birth, I was reverse-summoned to the Monkey Realm when a prophecy was read to me about the boy by an elder monkey priest," Hiruzen explained._

 _(AN: Summoner's Blood Oath - A set or sets of vows made between an animal clan and a summoner to which both parties must abide by. Failure to uphold the oath may result in a gruesome death for the guilty party)_

 _"I was ordered not to disclose the full prophecy to Minato and Kushina at the time due to the oath which they understood completely of course. However what surprised me even further was the fact that Jiraiya too was was told a prophecy regarding Naruto when he was reversed-summoned to the Toad Realm," he added._

 _Quietness reigned above the office once more, the only audible sounds present were the breathing of the two individuals in the room._

 _"Now Hitomi-chan, what do you know about prophecies?" asked Hiruzen breaking the silence, his tired eyes boring into the form of his secretary._

 _"I don't... I don't know much about them," she answered honestly._

 _"Prophecies are revelations of an incoming event whether good or bad; it doesn't matter. The world that we live in, beyond the complexity of the incomprehensible system which governs it, flows like a river through the concept of space and time. While most argue that time itself can only move in a certain direction, a minority would say that it can be reversed and forwarded. However both arguments are nullified if we consider this very fact; what is meant by fate and can fate itself be changed?" the man said, ending with hypothetical questions._

 _"Fate is the story of each thing that exists in the world; from its beginning to its end, from its difficulty to its ease, from its provisions to its trials, from its good and its bad... Every action done, every word spoken, every idea given; not a leaf that falls on the earthy ground nor a seed that sprouts in the darkness of the night if not its affairs recorded in the Book, and He is the Most Merciful and Most Knowing," said Hiruzen, reciting verses, holy they are._

 _"Hence, if the fates of the Heavens and the Earth were already written by the One Equal to None, are we, the sons and daughters of man forever bound to its shackles? While the logical answer would be yes, the correct one would be no," he added._

 _"Suppose you were walking through a forest and happened to stumble upon a river. You wished to cross the river safely but you see three ways to cross it; to walk on a well-built bridge, to ride a broken boat or to swim through the raging waters. Which way would you pick Hitomi-chan?"_

 _"I would walk on the well-built bridge Hokage-sama," she answered._

 _"Most of us would pick that indeed. However, suppose we added a thousand more ways for us to cross the river each with its on pros and cons, which way should we pick?" he asked further._

 _"I... I wouldnt-"_

 _"Yes, you wouldn't know right? What if we considered other circumstances as well like the width of the river, the speed of the rushing waters, the direction of the blowing winds, the weather and so on and so forth, oh which method shall we use?" the Hokage said, interjecting Hitomi's answer with another question._

 _"However, the end point will always be the same no matter the path taken, which is the other side of the river; and for us mortals that is our demise where we shall return to Him. Verily, that indeed is an iota's worth of an example for the concept of Fate. Such is the knowledge of the Unseen, a knowledge not even the venerated 'gods' among us would know. And because of the infinite possibilities within a similar premise to which the initial means as well as its opportunities differ to each individual, one can say that a person's fate is unique in nature."_

 _"Whether we spend our time doing good or committing evil, it is entirely our own choice. We are given a conscious to ponder upon the right and the wrong; surely our actions shall be held accounted for. The lines that blur between a caged destiny and free will are almost always inconceivable; one can even say that they exist simultaneously. Two ironies, two contradicting ideas, forming a paradoxical concept that makes little to know sense yet does at the same time," he stated._

 _"However there exists fates which are greater than others, ones which determine the course of our very future. Here is where prophecies come to play, recited by those who are chosen to keep the knowledge, their inspiration gained by means unsaid," continued Hiruzen._

 _"Do prophecies always come true?" Hitomi asked innocently._

 _"Prophecies are merely hints of an unknown future. What we interpret from the wordings is just a guess on the actual happenings that may or may not occur. It is often known that, accompanying prophecies are conditions which are required for them to take place. For example, one of the main requirements for Naruto's prophecy was, in its words; "For the blessed boy who was raised from cradle in the home of his father" which clearly states that he must be_

 _brought up in Konoha because of Minato was born in the village and considered it his home. If he were to be taken to Uzu no Kuni after the Kyuubi attack, the prophecy may be nullified and the consequences for going against it may be disastrous, inevitable even," ended Hiruzen._

 _"Is it that bad? I mean for Naruto to be raised in another place," she asked once more to be sure._

 _"The world may end prematurely if it did happen," Hiruzen answered without missing a beat._

 _The insides of Hitomi's stomach twisted at the Hokage's answer, her head weighed heavy as a noxious feeling crept around, moving throughout her body. The fate of the world depended on the suffering of an innocent orphan. It was sick just thinking about it._

 _Fate was cruel._

 _But a burden is not given unless a soul is capable of carrying it._

 _To say that Hitomi was merely surprised was like saying that fire was warm instead of burning hot; she was shell-shocked and traumatized. She finally understood why the mission was considered an S-rank mission- honestly it should have been an SS-rank instead! The amount of pressure for her to succeed was monumental and failure was not an option._

 _But she would not fail._

 _Her intentions were pure and her heart set for service._

 _It was all for Naruto-kun._

 _"What are your first orders, Hokage-sama?" Hitomi asked in a determined voice._

 _Hiruzen smiled._

 _All was well._

 _..._

Snapping awake from her continuous flashbacks, Hitomi turned her eyes back to the slice of bread and the butter knife as she was in the middle of preparing breakfast. She sighed a heavy sigh. Throughout her life she has always been calm and collected- something she was very proud of- when put under pressure especially in extremely delicate situations. Life-threatening the risks may be, she would always find a way to look at things analytically in order to find the best possible solution to solve her problems.

The thrill of the hunt while remaining in control was one of the many reasons why she wanted to become a ninja in the first place.

Currently, the hunter was losing sight of her previous prey as a bigger and more deadlier beast chased her around, its jaws of death scarier than anything she'd ever imagined.

In the kitchen, the kettle on the the stove let out a loud whistle signaling the water had already boiled. Getting up from her seat from her dining room table while placing the bread and butter knife on a plate, she walked immediately to the kitchen and turned off the stove. She then carried the kettle back to her dining room which was on the left side of the kitchen and placed it on a wooden block which had some burnt marks on its surface.

She had already prepared her prized porcelain tea cup with her favourite tea mixture- chamomile, lemon grass, rose petals with expensive tea leaves coming from Lightning Country- packed in a tea bag as the relaxing aromas of the tea released itself in the air after she poured the hot water from the kettle into the cup. The scent of the mixture was a reminder of home as she smiled at the thought of her mother who insisted on preparing her own family's meals in the kitchens by herself to the absolute panic of the palace staff.

Occasionally if she returned back to the capital for the holidays, she would often follow her mother along to the kitchens and assist her in making cakes and other forms of confectionaries to the delight of her younger brother who had a sweet tooth. Most of the time if they were free, her father and uncle would come along to the kitchens too resulting in a big mess which eventually turns into a huge food fight, laughter filling the palace's walls.

Behind the guise of wealth and prestige, the Royal Family was like any other family.

She was happy to have such a loving one indeed.

Sipping the warm blissful liquid from the tea cup a small smile appeared on her face as calming sensations spread throughout her body. She was never fond of coffee, believing it to be a beverage for those who welcomed their mornings with an extra drive knowing their day was going to be a stressful one. Tea however gave the opposite effect of coffee; it was relaxing and soothing to the nerves, engulfing the one who drinks it with an artificial sense of peace in the body even if the spirit was disturbed.

And slightly disturbed her spirit was.

On this day, the first phase of her mission would take its place. The preparations of if had already planned, now the only thing left was its execution.

To tell Naruto his actual birthdate and to celebrate his birthday.

In order to further the relation between Naruto and the Nine-Tailed Fox, Hokage-sama had moved Naruto's birthdate to the 27th of September where he would personally celebrate his birthday at the boy's place of choice and give him well-deserved presents. Her grandfather-like figure had never missed the young Uzumaki's birthday and would spend the whole day with him if he didn't have any important matters to attend at that time.

It was always a one to one session, the Hokage mentioned and sadly she understood why. When he was nine years old, Naruto wanted to have a birthday party and had invited his classmates to attend, he had even written the invitation cards by hand hoping they would attend.

A nine year old's heart was broken into pieces when he found his invitation cards ripped apart and thrown into the trash-bins while some others were scattered on the floor. The boy went home crying that day and refusing exit his apartment for three days. Even when Iruka-sensei visited to check on him threatening to enter in by force, he did not budge. Thankfully, as the date fell on his 'supposed' birthday, Hokage-sama had convinced him to come out. They then had a very quiet walk to the Hokage's Monument sitting on the Yondaime's head from afternoon 'till sunset and ate dinner in his office, the boy silent the whole day.

From that day forth, Naruto became rather reluctant to celebrate his birthday thinking it to be something not worthwhile at all. Instead of the long walks and playtime around the Shodaime's Imperial Garden, the boy settled for something small; to be treated ramen at Ichiraku's, something he and the Hokage would often do when both of them had the time. Instead of the multitude of gifts he would ask the Hokage before, he was now just content with a simple notebook and a pen to write his down his notes. The old man knew that Naruto continued his 'birthday celebration' with him because it was some sort of sacred tradition between the two but honestly speaking if the boy had a choice, he wouldn't bother caring anymore.

And she wanted to change that.

After finishing breakfast, Hitomi turned her eyes to a cuckoo clock on her living room wall just next to her dining room to check the time. Seeing that it was 7.21 a.m and the sun not up, Hitomi decided to take a quick shower having not taken one yesterday due to the freezing temperatures outside.

After her 10 minute shower- this was considered short in her opinion, if she wasn't rushing she would have already dunk herself in the warm waters of her bathtub-, she then went to her room to dry herself and put on her usual attire for the day. Unlike most ninja who wore more shinobi-like clothes, the princess was rather fond of wearing silken dress robes in neutral colours that were loose enough to hide her figure- not that she was insecure about it, but she wanted to keep a low profile and keep the eyes of prying men away- yet practical enough for battle.

As she stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror right in front of her, her gaze went straight to her wet hair that hadn't dried yet. This however wasn't a problem for her.

Concentrating the right amount of chakra on the tips of her fingers, she began to stroke the wet parts of her hair that stretched to her shoulders which instantly dried up at the touch.

Originally, the technique she used to dry her hair was in actual fact a chakra control exercise for those who possessed the Fire Affinity. The user needed to push the correct amount of chakra to their hands on a leaf until it burned in order to increase their control over the element.

After watching Hokage-sama light up his pipe with only his thumb a number of times, Hitomi decided to experiment on it herself. After a gruesome amount of attempts- which resulted in severe burns on her skin and some hair loss, she succeeded and thus her hair drying technique was born.

Tying her hair in a messy yet eloquent bun held together by a pair of ivory chopsticks, she was almost good to go. However, a highborn lady like her needed a few 'touch-ups' and that was the occasional nude coloured lipstick on her thin lips. Not that she needed it but her dear mother was always persistent on her looking 'humble enough to be a ninja while elegant enough to be a queen'. It annoyed her sometimes but mothers tend to know best.

The clock currently pointed at 8:13 a.m. and Hitomi was already to leave. Instead of reporting to the Hokage's Office and accompanying him to officiate the opening ceremony for the Yondaime's Festival, she was going to send a shadow clone in her stead as she carried out her own little mission for the day.

Spying on Uzumaki Naruto.

Exiting her bedroom, Hitomi then walked to her living room and approached a table that was in the middle of the sitting area. On that table was a sword holster containing a Tanto next to a neatly folded black cloak. However, what was most eye-catching among the items on the table was a white porcelain mask that had a cat design painted on it.

She was going to disguise herself as ANBU operative Cat #015 for the day. With full permission from the Hokage of course.

The beautiful thing about being part of the ANBU is that even amongst members names are often left unsaid. Outside of their own personal squad which was usually made out of a three to seven men cell, it is often that members are ignorant of each other's real identities to which they refer to each other based on codenames given. Moreover, the protocol in the ANBU regarding social interactions between members and the public is so tight the higher your rank goes that friends who meet each other outside of missions are often oblivious to the fact that they are actually part of the same military branch.

And when a member of the ANBU was off duty, they are not allowed to disclose their positions in the special force to anyone unless given proper clearance.

The vagueness of the ANBU didn't just stop here however. It was so bad that two years ago during an incident involving a threat of an Iwa spy within the ANBU, a husband and wife, both squad leaders had reported each other to the Hokage stating that one of them was the Iwa spy.

They were a happily married couple with two beautiful twin daughters having been together for four years and counting.

In the end the spy was caught red-handed and was turned in to a happy and sadistic Ibiki. However by twist of fate, it wasn't one of them at all. Hokage-sama who regarded the sitution rather cheekily made them confront each other in his office. The look on their faces when they took off their masks at the same time by direct order was ever priceless- the old man had even asked her to take their photos the moment their masks were off. He then gave them the photos as a gift and a one-month paid leave for all the trouble the investigations had caused them.

Apparently, both of them were arrested in a maximum security facility for three days until they were cleared of all charges on espionage. Thankfully, the arrest was made at separate times thus there was at least one parent left to take care of the kids.

Yet the question remains; how did the two manage to hide everything about their ANBU lives from the other without either of them finding out?

Curious indeed.

Putting her cloak on Hitomi then picked up the Tanto and attached it to her waist instead of her back like most ANBU did. Satisfied with herself, she then took the porcelain mask from the table and placed it on her face covering it completely.

She was ready.

...

From where he stood, Yuzuru watched as the heiress of the Hyuga Clan walked in his direction, each step taken with a poise of grace and humility expected from the nobility while accompanying her were three individuals possessing the same pale white eyes. Shaking himself from his momentary shock and his staring at the young heiress, Yuzuru immediately hid behind a stall selling yakisoba noodles, just enough for him to remain unseen at the same time enough for him to spy on the group.

The tallest one who was trailing her from behind wore standard black Hyuga robes and had short hair, his face stoic and neutral typical amongst members of his clan. The other one who was most definitely a boy- even with his long silky brown hair that stretched below his shoulders and his feminine face- walking on her right side was wearing a white-coloured winter yukata and unlike the older man he had a small smile on his face as he observed the antics of the third individual, a little girl who was jumping up and down excitedly, her clothes a light blue winter kimono with pink ribbons in her long brown hair.

"Calm down Hanabi-sama we'll go get some dango first then we'll go the game stall, alright?" said the long haired boy in a soft spoken voice.

"Alrighty Neji-nisan!" the little girl named Hanabi shouted earning a laugh from her older sister and a light glare from the older man who smirked in the end. Hanabi who noticed how loud she was smiled sheepishly her puffy cheeks turning a slight shade of red.

"It's just that, well, this is the first time father allowed us to go to this festival and Natsu-neesan said that there's a shuriken and kunai throwing competition for young kids like me and the prize is a big fox plushie and I really really really wanna win it," said Hanabi in haste, her mind picturing the fox plushie already in her possession.

"You already have enough plushies at home Imouto-chan," Hinata said in her sweet and gentle voice, rolling her beautiful lavender eyes playfully at her younger sister's theatrics.

"Yeah but not a fox one Nee-san," she replied in a faux-hurt tone, pouting at her older sister. "I want and Neko-chan to have another friend to play with when we have our evening tea parties together... Oh yeah! I almost forgot, Ko-san you haven't attended any of my tea parties yet," the little Hyuga said, her cute wide eyes staring at the older man hoping that he'll come.

A forced smile appeared on Ko's face as beads of sweat trinkled down the sides of the man's head not covered by a white cloth covering his forehead. It wasn't like he was trying to avoid... What was he even saying? He **sure** was distancing himself as far as possible from Hanabi-sama's tea parties, and he had a very good reason why.

Hanabi-sama, although a very talented young child and a prodigy at the Clan's Gentle Fist Style was still just however, a seven year old girl with seven year old tendencies. She still played dress-up and pretended to be a princess- although she really was one- with her sister when they were free in the evenings usually after their practice sessions in the family dojo. Her favourite past time was of course hosting tea parties to which her usual attendants were Hinata-sama, Natsu her personal caretaker, a reluctant Neji who had already accepted his fate a long time ago and her twelve stuffed animals each with their own little names.

Now what was so wrong about those innocent tea parties one may ask?

Ko Hyuga was one of the Hyuga's most elite fighters available who wasn't on active duty due to him retiring early from the Black Ops division of the ANBU at the age of 21. After the Hyuga Affair, it was decided by Hiashi that he was to be Hinata's and Hanabi's official bodyguard around and outside the clan compound. His battle prowess among the ANBU was so well known that fellow members had dubbed him 'The Grizzly Bear' due to his modification of the Gentle Fist to fit the clawing of a vicious bear and his mask which was the face of the animal.

So imagine someone like Ko who had a track record of nearly 70 confirmed kills having participated in 18 successful S-ranked missions throughout Hi no Kuni and in foreign territory only to end up being a little girl's makeup doll while sipping fake tea from a plastic cup wearing a dress that was painfully bright pink in colour.

The image was horrifying to say the least.

"Ko-san is often busy training in the evenings Imouto-chan, you know that," interjected the Hyuga heiress, a small smile appearing on her face as she received a slight nod from the man that screamed 'Thank you so much Hinata-sama for saving me from a horrible fate. I owe you one'.

"Hmmph!" the little Hyuga huffed dramatically crossing her arms while looking upwards, her face in a frown. She then sighed in defeat slumping her shoulders.

"Don't worry, I'll still play with you alright?" she said in a sweet and motherly tone as she gently pat her sister's head with affection.

The frown turned into a bright smile as her slumped figure straighted up at her sister's declaration as the little girl ran straight to her sister and hugged her tightly. Hinata who was already used to Hanabi's random outbursts returned the hug and stroked her head gently once more.

The group then stopped in front of a stall that sold hair accessories and other trinkets to the vehemence of Neji and Hanabi who scrolled through each corner of the small shop, the former looking for a gift while the latter was mesmerized by the multitude array of hair clips that came in many shapes and colours. While Ko entered the stall chidding a mischievous Hanabi whose persistence almost lead to a tall stack of boxes tumbling from the cashier's counter Hinata stood outside, a noticeable frown appearing on her face.

Yuzuru who noticed the change in expression on his- which was actually Naruto's- crush's doll-like face was rather confused at the sudden frown. The yakisoba stall he was currently hiding behind was just right in front of the hair accessories stall and while the position he picked made it hard for him to eavesdrop their conversations, adding a little more flow of chakra to his ears was well worth it as it enhanced and sharpened his listening increasing his hearing range in the process.

He chuckled softly at Hanabi's outburst and the older man's reaction to being invited to to the little girl's playtimes.

The small frown on her face disappeared completely and was replaced with her usual honey-sweet smile when Neji exited the store, in his hands were two beautiful side combs, one an ivory with black floral patterns on it while the other was an ebony with white floral patterns drawn on its surface.

"Hinata-sama..." Neji said softly his eyes looking down in slight embarrassment.

"Hmmm, Neji-nisan? What is it?" the Hyuga heiress replied in a kind tone.

"Well mother's and father's anniversary is coming soon and I have slight difficulty in picking between these two combs for mother, so I need a... woman's personal touch?" said the long-haired boy, cringing at himself for saying the last part out loud.

"Oh my! Is the genius of the Hyuga Clan asking me, the untalented cousin on her opinion regarding matters which are important to him? Has the world gone mad?" Hinata said with the bravado of an overly dramatic noblewoman, placing the back of her hand on top of her forehead giving a 'woe is me' pose at the frustration of her older cousin who puffed his cheeks in annoyance at her cousin. The heiress giggled in the end, earning a small happy smirk on Neji's face.

"I was young, bitter and naïve back then alright," said Neji as he faced the other direction away from his younger cousin's cheeky face.

"I know you were Neji-nisan. That's why I forgive you," Hinata said in all honesty, an honoured and thankful expression falling on the male prodigy's feminine face. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop teasing you for it," added the heiress as she stuck her tongue out in an adorable manner, causing Yuzuru who was watching the whole exchange to turn a shade of red, his heartbeat increasing frantically as he imagined himself being teased by his beautiful crush.

Neji let out a small laugh at his cousin's harmless teasing of him. It was so like her to cheer him up when he was feeling down. Feeling the mark on his forehead, he knew and wholeheartedly believed that it was worth carrying for her. She had changed a lot from that timid and shy little girl she was back then.

Hinata was truly the Hyuga's _Sunny Place_.

And she'll be the one to finally change it all.

"Since you can't pick between the two, I'll purchase the other one for you so you'll have two presents for Aunty Kimiko," said the heiress.

"Hinata-sama! I could not impose-"

"It's fine Neji-nisan I-"

"It's rather expensive Hinata-sama-" interjected the boy.

"I have no qualms when it comes to price so-"

"But it is not proper-"

"Consider it my present then," stressed the heiress as she grabbed both of Neji's wrist gently prompting him to stop his blabbering. "A gift from the Hyuga heiress, an honarable memento to strengthen the ties between the Main and Branch House."

This silenced Neji whose pearl white eyes stared deeply in the heiress's lavender ones, the gaze she held a very serious one.

He sighed in defeat knowing he had lost the battle against his persistent cousin.

"Hey Nee-san I found a hairclip I really like can we buy it pretty please?" Hanabi said as she rushed out of the stall carrying a small red butterfly hair pin with rubies sewn at its wings while performing the most dreaded Jutsu known to mankind.

The Puppy-Dog Eye Jutsu.

"Alright, alright I'll get it for you," Hinata said while chuckling as she kissed Hanabi's forehead earning a cute squeal from the little girl.

After she paid the stall owner with a generous amount of Ryo, said owner gave her a bow of honour- a full 90 degree bow- for her patronage which was only often given to the nobles of Royal Court which caused the heiress to flush red, her past shyness returning somewhat as she pressed her fingers together causing the other three Hyugas present to have a light laugh.

Yuzuru who was watching his crush act cutesy and shy flushed red as well, as an urge to hug her and protect her from the evils of the world sparked within his chest. Yuzuru's heartbeat was going exceedingly fast as he felt light-headed and could faint anytime now albeit in bliss.

An unyielding yearn for the heiress appeared in his heart, the sensation so painful yet so soothing as it pierced his emotions into a frenzy. Even with her flaws, he couldn't stop his infatuation for the girl. In his eyes, there was no one who could compare to her, even if they seemed prettier than her or possessed traits which she lacked.

To him she was perfect beyond words and he loved her.

Naruto truly loved her.

Yet how could something so beautiful bring him so much pain and misery?

Because she was like the rising moon above, its soft ethereal light shining on the Earth below, surrounded by the stars above in an endless dark canvas, its form pure and virgin, created by Kami only to show the might of His Power to His Creations.

And who was he but a mere bastard child, born from an unholy union who slept in the day and kept awake in the night, just and only just, to witness the moon in all its glory, for the sake of his heart who sought the comfort of its soft illumination, desiring to touch it and for it to take him whole.

But that was mere wishful thinking, such was beyond the scope of possibility.

It hurt him to know he will never have the chance.

It hurt him to know she will **never** love him back.

The whispers had returned once more, trying to haunt him and put him through another painful ordeal of watching those accursed memories like demons with pitch forks poking him for their sick amusement. He was hyperventilating behind the yakisoba stall, his body threatening to shut down while his conscious stayed awake, torturing him to a humiliating submission.

Until he heard a beautiful voice echoing through his ears, enchanting and calming it was, saving him from the evil whispers.

"Ano... Are you alright? I know you're there whoever you are," a heavenly yet high-pitched voice said, shaking the spying boy from falling into another anxiety attack.

Yuzuru was very surprised to see the Hyuga heiress so close to him, their faces just a feet apart from each other. He could smell her scent- of cinnamon and roses, overwhelming his senses making him feel weak on his knees. However, what brought him to absolute shock the most out of her very presence was her round lavender eyes, beautiful orbs staring at him with curiosity, wonderment and... was that concern?

The sudden appearance of his one-sided loved one was just too much for the young disguised boy so he did what he always did when his nervousness clouded his ability to think with regards to any sort of interaction with the heiress.

He fainted.

...

Waking himself up, his eyes remaining closed Naruto had dreamed a wonderful dream. He had finally mastered another one of Takigakure's Barrier Fuinjutsu and perfected his **True** Transformation Technique turning into one of his many alter egos by the name of Yuzuru Suisha in order to attend the Yondaime's festival for the first time. Oh yeah the best part of it all was the fact that _she_ appeared in his dreams once more; it always made him happy when he dreamed of Hyuga Hinata even if it was only a mere silhouette of her pristine presence.

Ever since the day she gave him his precious scarf, Naruto did everything he could to find out more about her. Well, he was merely limited to innocent stalking and most of the time before they went to the academy together, he would only spy on her when he stumbled upon her randomly in public or if he knew where she would be if she was out doing arrands outside of the Hyuga compound.

Okay, he had to admit it was rather _creepy_. However defending himself, there were times when he wouldn't stalk her and that mostly happened if she was returning back to her clan's compound or that one time when she went to one of the Leaf Hot Springs with her mother and little sister.

Even with his flaws, he still had honour.

Plus he hated perverts with a passion.

Throughout those times, Naruto watched as the pale-eyed girl who had shown him kindness in one of the most darkest moments of his life become truly _more_ than he ever expected her to be. As days turned into months and snow turned into rain, slowly but slowly, before he realized it, the boy who sought the world for love and affection had fallen **hard** for her.

And there was no returning back.

But he knew, oh he knew indeed, the bitter truth behind it all.

He was a nobody.

 _"A mongrel mutt is ever more welcomed in the House of the Hyuga than someone like **you** could ever be_," _said a voice with pure loathe and disdain._

Naruto recalled that memory. It was a very painful one indeed.

Suppressing the thought away as fast he could before his anxiety attacks kicked in, he noticed something rather odd about his bed.

Why was it so stiff and hard?

And why was it freezing cold in his room?

And who was touching his face...

Wait a minute.

 **SOMEONE WAS TOUCHING HIM?!**

Naruto literally jumped and screamed for his life when he recognized the alien sensation on his skin shocking the culprit as she too screamed a short high-pitched scream. Crouching in a defensive position Naruto scanned his surroundings like an animal allowing his feral-like survival instincts take control, his hands keeping close to his face as his fingers curled up stiffly in a claw-like manner.

However as his thoughts became clear and his heart beat decreased in number, the boy then observed his surroundings in a calculative manner still in his fight-and-flight mode until his mind registered the other source of screaming, his eyes falling on a blue-haired figure that was looking at him with wide-eyed curiosity.

Then he remembered.

His dreams were...were they real?

"Are-are you okay...?" asked the concerned blue-haired figure, her voice filled with innocent care.

He couldn't believe it. She... she was talking to him. **She** of all people asking him if he was alright. He quickly pinched himself afraid that he might still be asleep, still having his dream, a creation of his fragile mind to provide him temporary comfort making him see things that aren't actually there. It wasn't the first time his mind played tricks on him; he literally experiences mental disturbances on a daily basis- the intensity depended though.

It didn't feel like Genjutsu either due him being able to detect his own chakra flow properly without fault.

So they were _real._

He couldn't contain his joy knowing that everything he experienced today had actually happened.

Tears threatened to escape his eyes, as a fuzzy and warm feeling blossomed in his chest. He felt happy, an emotion which was more often a rare and treasured commodity for the boy than anything else. And so disregarding the fact that he had an audience, Naruto cried. Wiping his tears with the sleeves of his winter yukata he allowed a small smile to appear on his face, thanking Kami for such a blessed opportunity.

Ever since that _**day**_ , he couldn't bring himself to approach Hinata directly anymore.

But today, he finally had the chance.

Even if he wasn't **truly** Naruto in form.

And so with a well-intentioned resolve, Naruto with the mastery of a veteran spy then placed his 'mask' on his face hiding his true feelings for the girl in front him and who he truly was inside. Today he would allow himself to start a new leaf and identity with regards to the heiress.

For now he was Yuzuru Suisha, a young herbalist studying medicine and poisons under a master from his hometown in the South-East of Hi no Kuni who happened to be on break and decided to spend his holidays in Konohagakure. Uzumaki Naruto was _persona non grata_ to him.

Hinata Hyuga was rather undeniably an emotional sort. Indeed, she was still the same girl who held the same old sensitive and symphatique personality of her younger self, however, what differed to the past was instead of considering it a weakness, she now saw it as her greatest strength. Her dear mother made sure of it. She always said that the world needed as much kindness as it could for it was a very cruel one. That's why other than her own name, she was often referred to as _Hikari_ to those very close to her which came from her title _Hyuga no Hika_ _ri_ given to her by the members of the Branch House.

But the emotional shift of the boy in front of her; it wasn't normal at all she knew. It was of someone who carried behind him a troubled past and experienced heavy trauma- the adverse reaction to her touch was an obvious indication. She of all people recognized the signs immediately; she too was a previous victim of abuse. However, unlike her own previous tragic past she could see in the boy's light green eyes a pain greater than she'd ever experience. He looked so vulnerable and on the verge of breaking yet there was something that held him together, just enough to hold himself from the cold embrace of insanity.

And then suddenly, the glimpse of the broken boy was no more, replaced by a handsome young man who had a confident yet kind look on his face. He then flashed her a toothy grin causing the young heiress in question to spot a light blush on her snow white cheeks. Rising up from the ground, he then offered his hand to the still sitting girl which she accepted blankly without question.

It took every single ounce of control and past experience for Yuzuru to remain in his persona and not switch back to the _**real**_ Naruto who would surely blush and fall unconscious knowing he was touching the hand of the girl of his dreams. Contrary to the loud and brash personality of the _**false**_ Naruto, he was actually scared of the opposite sex. Not deathly scared, but just being around a group of them was enough to make him go through a panic attack. However, true to his ability to follow

 _The Way of the Spy_ courtesy of lessons from the Hokage and his love for people watching, he was able to make others think he wasn't bothered which in all truths was a lie.

And here he was doing something that would literally knock him out for an hour or two.

Realizing what she was doing, Hinata blushed a further red as she stood up from her previous position. Yuzuru who noticed her slight discomfort released his light grip from the princess's hand, the grin still present on his face. After an awkward silence which commenced immediately after they both were standing with Hinata looking at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world, Yuzuru decided to start the conversation.

"I apologize for shocking you like that," he said to the heiress, rubbing the back of his head while closing his eyes.

"It's n-no p-problem?" she replied still dumbfounded at the situation at hand, her own shyness surfacing as she started stuttering again.

Why was she stuttering again?

The silence returned once more as the two felt more awkward then before. Before either one of them walked away, Hinata took in a deep breath and released it to calm down. She too decided to continue the conversation, her curiosity winning the better part her.

"Ano... Why were you spying on me and my family?" she asked rather bluntly yet in a polite tone, her eyes at Yuzuru in solemn thought wondering why this young man was watching her from behind the yakisoba stall.

"I... I..." Yuzuru struggled to answer. Truthfully, he was speechless. He couldn't outright say that the reason he spied on her was because he was borderline in love with her, right? Moreover, based on his actual self's knowledge of the young heiress, she was very smart earning the title Kunoichi of the Year for twice in a row and was trained to read off the truth and lies from an individual from a young age based on their body language.

Was he screwed? Kind of.

So he told her the truth.

Well the _**partial**_ truth of course.

"It's because well... _you're really beautiful,_ " Yuzuru answered, the last part as quietly as possible as he held back his will to faint at this moment his eyes facing the ground as well.

His hope that the heiress hadn't heard his proclamation was brought to moot point as the girl in question turned a bright red and was frozen solid in her place. With a nervous chuckle, slowly made his way from the heiress Yuzuru walking backwards then proceeded to run away as fast as he could to where ever his legs took him.

It was now Hinata's turn to be flabbergasted by the young man's compliment of her. Sure she was often considered adorable and pretty by those who knew her and by onlookers who've seen her for the first time- not to be prideful but she had to admit that it was true. Underneath her usual baggy clothes which she often wore at the academy was a figure that most of her female classmates would kill for- quite literally actually. She had a heart faced shape which if she were to grow older would help maintain her youthful looks as well as soft and smooth skin, fair like that of skimmed milk. Thin lips and a small button nose which held a a slight sharpness at the end adorned her face further adding beauty to her visage. What made her ever more special were her eyes; moon white with a lavender tint in colour. Why was she so special with this regard? It is because the eye colour of those who are born Hyuga have always been plain white or grey.

Okay, all in all, she was beautiful. Her mother had made sure she believed in it knowing about her insecurity problems as a child.

But, the way the boy said it... She didn't understand why... Why did it carry so much meaning? He was a total stranger to her and she knew that she'd never seen him before.

Why did her heart flutter when he said that she was beautiful?

Breaking herself from her thoughts, she then realized that the boy she had in mind had disappeared from sight. Wanting to confront the boy as soon possible she performed a few handsigns and activated her Kekkai Genkai.

" _Byakugan_ _!_ " said Hinata, vein lines visible around her eyes.

What felt like a minute or so, Hinata had found her target who was running towards the Yondaime's monument at fast speeds. Not wanting to lost track of him, she too ran at a fast pace adding chakra to her legs in order to catch up.

Yuzuru was panting- not out of tiredness but out of nervousness. Usually, running was nothing to the disguised boy due to his somewhat limitless stamina when performing any sort of physical exercises. However, his exhaustion was not a physical one; it was a mental and emotional one.

All he wanted to do now was lock himself in his room and cry. He had embarrassed himself in front of his one-sided love and proved to the world how inferior he was to her. There was no chance, **no chance** at all that she would even care about him. Who was he kidding? Even in a disguise he was just Uzumaki Naruto, the pariah whose life was worth almost _nothing_ to anyone. He was starting to believe that the story was true, that the legend was real, that he was truly the _Prince of Misfortune._

 _For the price of the city's happiness is the misery and suffering of a child._

 _"Why... why can't I hate? Why do I feel so empty even if I'm angry at the world? Why? Why does anger feel so... empty..." he thought to himself._

And so underneath the Yondaime's statue, the disguised boy wept, his eyes red and his voice raspy crying for a cruel fate and a pain unsaid.

When Hinata caught up to him with her Byakugan activated, her heart dropped at the sight of the crying boy. One would think the boy to be clinically bipolar if they saw him switching emotions like the blowing winds above but she of all people knew better than that.

What the boy had was a mask adorned on his face and based on how the he acted , he was a master of hiding his true feelings. The mask he wore was solid; flawless; better than her own father's even. While the Hyuga relied on acting impassive and neutral in order to mask their emotions, the boy in her sight hid them beneath a bright smile tricking others into thinking that he was the happiest person in the world; yet it was the total opposite entirely.

He... he reminded her of _someone_ she knew. Her heart could feel it but her mind could not. The resemblance was uncanny but for the love of Kami she did not know who?

 _"Why does he feel so... familiar?"_ _thought the heiress to herself._

And such concluded the boy's mastery over the art of concealment.

But for some odd reason, she was the reason the mask broke, shattered to a thousand pieces.

She needed to know why.

As she approached the boy near the statue who was crying on his knees in the sleeves of his yukata choking silently on his tears, she did the only thing her heart screamed for her to do.

She hugged him.

And thus the snow-linen ground, pure and white became wet with tears; from beautiful orbs of lavender and hidden blue.

...

What was actually fifteen minutes felt like an hour for both Hinata and Yuzuru. Yuzuru who felt the soft arms and body of Hinata hugging him from behind did not feel even the slightest bit threatened at the touch, rather it gave him great comfort and a sense of serenity; never had he experienced this peace before. The entities he created in his mind as he wondered through his dreams in the state of lucidity, they were nothing compared to the girl who held him in her arms.

During these moments nothing else mattered in the world, the two the only ones present while their surroundings forgotten. It was at times like this when time itself understood the words of destiny, allowing the two to be left alone without interruption nor hindrance.

They knew not that they were healing the holes and scars present in the spirit of their hearts.

With all the strength he could muster at the moment, Yuzuru then turned his back to Hinata and did the most boldest thing he ever did to a girl.

He hugged her back.

"Th-thank... _thank you so much,_ " he whispered in the ear of the blunette with the purest of sincerities.

In an unspoken agreement that the two somehow knew, they then released each other from the other's embrace and sat next to each other a finger-span apart on one of the park benches in silence gathering their thoughts. What had occurred was something no one could expect. It was an emotional roller-coaster ridden in less than hour on a track built upon years of tragedy and grief. But ridden on it they did.

A hundred questions were flooding in Hinata's mind as she stole a momentary look on this unknown boy who she felt so connected with without knowing the reason why. However, none of those questions made their way to her lips, an unknown force stopping them from uttering those words. Instead, Hinata opted to break the ice by the most simplest way possible; her name.

"I'm... I'm Hinata Hyuga," said the girl meekly, filling the air with her quiet yet beautiful voice.

"Yuzuru... Yuzuru Suisha," replied the boy equally as meek, his voice still raspy after his outburst.

The park became silent again, no one in sight but the two pre-teens as both of them thought deeply on the information given- albeit one of them knowing the other without fault.

"Ano... Yuzuru-san, are you from here?" Hinata asked him with earnest, knowing that the boy was not a native in Konohagakure.

Yuzuru shook his head lightly, his gaze still fixed on the snow covered ground. "I... I come from Funagawa, a port city in the south east of Hi no Kuni where I live with my master," answered the green-eyed boy, his reply so flawless to which the heiress was ignorant of his blatant lie.

"What do you do there? With your master I mean..." continued the lavender-eyed Hyuga.

Taking a deep breath, Yuzuru answered. "I am a herbalist in training and other than plants I study poisons, its counters as well as medicinal drugs for commercial and ninja use."

"Are you... Are you part of the _Auxiliary_ _Ninja_ _Corps_?" she asked Yuzuru curious on his speed as he ran from her to the park in a short period of time.

(AN: Auxiliary Ninja Corps - Ninjas who serve Konohagakure but work, live and train outside the village. Monitored by the Shinobi Council and the Resource and Recruitment Office [RRO])

Questions after questions, answer after answer the young heiress was able to get to know the boy better. It turns out that Yuzuru was an orphaned child taken in by his master who he considered as his own grandfather when he was just a baby. Other than being a herbalist, Yuzuru's grandfather held the Jounin Rank in the Auxiliary Ninja Corps hence ever since the boy could walk and talk, his grandfather had been training him in the ways of the ninja which he used only for the purpose of self-defense. With the blessings of his grandfather, he was allowed to travel around Hi no Kuni alone in order to complete his mastery in Botany and Herbology (AN: Forgive me Potterheads) by studying plant life outside of his city.

As the lavender-eyed Hyuga listened to Yuzuru's history, she could not help but fall prey into believing in his story- if only partly. The young heiress was not so easily fooled, she was taught from an early age to discern the truths and lies from an individual through their body language without the aid of the Byakugan. However, if it weren't his extreme emotional bouts moments ago, she wouldn't have any doubts with his story in seconds.

Yet for some reason the heiress just knew that he was a good person, his intentions pure and null of malicious influences. Her heart told her so.

Mother always said to follow the heart if the mind could not comprehend.

She was always the best source of advice.

While Hinata was busy with her thoughts, she did not notice Yuzuru staring at her deeply like how when one stares at a drawing on a canvas. Etching the image of the young heiress in his mind, he was going to cherish this moment as one of his most precious memories. Yuzuru was ever more thankful for the creation of his _Mind Palace Jutsu._

"Hinata-san, you... you are a Main Branch Hyuga, right?" the boy said, now asking the questions.

Breaking herself from her deep contemplations on Yuzuru, she was just about to answer the boy when she was rather rudely interrupted by a high-pitched scream coming from the entrance of the memorial park.

"ONEE-SAN THERE YOU ARE! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU FOR THE PAST HOUR!" shouted the high-pitched voice, the fuming little girl walking grumpily to the direction of the monument, her face red and her cheeks puffed.

"Hanabi-sama, please *pants pants* slow *pants* down," said a soft yet baritone voice behind the girl gasping for air, his body bent down tiredly as he held a nearby tree for support.

Suddenly a flicker of leaves appeared in the middle of the park's clearing revealing a Hyuga man with short air, his face passive yet his right eyebrow up as he looked at the young heiress with mild annoyance.

"We were lucky to have found you sooner _Hikari-sama_. Your sudden absence would have caused a huge ruckus in the clan prompting our calvary to launch a search party to find you," Ko said, his eyebrow still up as he stared at Hinata with a mix of relief and irritation. His grey-white eyes then landed on her green-eyed companion, curiosity and wariness appearing in his chest.

The remaining two Hyugas were also staring at the unknown boy next to their beloved heiress. Neji who saw the scene of them talking to each other using his Byakugan earlier on was the most critical of Yuzuru, his eyes staring sharply at him with extreme caution and suspicion.

Yuzuru whose **true** persona was used to those stares wasn't bothered in the slightest as he maintained a neutral look which slowly shifted to a happy expression, a small noticeable smile on his face.

"Who are you, boy?" asked Ko in a slightly threatening manner as he tried to intimidate the green-eyed young man who was in close proximity to his ward.

Before Yuzuru could answer, a beautiful voice feminine voice answered for him, her words carrying an invisible shield that was protecting him from the scary-looking man.

"He's name is Yuzuru Suisha, Ko-san and he is a recently-made friend of mine," Hinata replied, her tone full of conviction and trust for her new companion.

 _..._ _Friend?_

 _The heart of a young man skipped a beat._

 _Friend?_

 _His mind went blank and his breathing stopped momentarily._

 _Friend?_

 _His emotions went into a frenzy._

Yuzuru, was at lost for words. Hinata... The girl that he loved with all his heart considered him her friend?

This was officially one of Naruto's best days ever.

He wanted to cry again, tears of happiness yearning to escape his disguised eyes. Her declaration touched his spirit in a multitude of ways, the sensation soothing yet heart-wrenchingly painful at the same time.

His very first friend.

Holding himself before he fainted in bliss once more, he allowed one of his _true_ smiles to grace the world with its sincerity. The smile was not missed by the young heiress however, as she too felt a peculiar sense of peace watching the bright and warm expression on the young man's face.

 _"He reminds me of..." the Hyuga heiress looked above at the sun in the horizon setting westwards. "Yes, he reminds me of the sun," thought the girl to herself._

"Well cute boy or not Nee-san, but because of you I had to leave all alone at the competition stand," she said crossing her arms in a pouting manner.

The mention of Yuzuru being cute lead to tints of red to appear on both the pre-teens cheeks. Letting a slight cough out to cool down the tense situation at hand, Hinata stood from her place and walked to Hanabi and gave her a small pat on the head.

"Hanabi... I'm sorry I made you all worried and to make it up to you, I'll carry all the way home for you and we'll play _Princess_ this evening with Ka-san, alright?" said Hinata with an adorable begging tone as she bent down to the same level as Hanabi, her hand still on her Imouto's head.

Hanabi then put on her 'serious thinking face' as her little fingers stroked her chin in faux consideration.

"Alrighty then!" shouted the youngest Hyuga as she jumped earning a happy look from the onlookers of the scene around her. Yuzuru who was merely an outsider to the whole situation had also felt the sense of family with the four Hyugas.

 _"This is probably how it feels like to have a family..." the boy said to himself a feeling of sadness sprouted in his heart._

Then he realized the situation at hand.

Hinata was going home...

As the Hyugas were about to depart from the park leaving Yuzuru alone, a sudden feeling of dread and angst entered the boy's gut causing him to feel down and empty. The evil whispers were coming back, he could feel it.

 _"She doesn't care about you, you worthless bastard," said the voices like echoes in a cave._

Bracing himself for another attack, an unexpected event occurred which silenced the whispers immediately.

Hinata Hyuga turned around back to the park and ran to his direction with an angelic smile on her beautiful visage.

"I'll be here again next week on Friday in the afternoon after school, are you free by then?" asked the heiress in a kind tone, she ever-hopeful that he would come.

With that the disguised boy nodded in earnest, whole-heartedly accepting her request.

At that moment the clouds parted from each other in the horizon, revealing the sun in all its glory.

Such was a parable for the child.

Naruto, the blessed child with sun-kissed hair.

...

 _"Curious, curious..." thought a cloaked figure to itself, hiding in the shadows as she watched the boy from a distance._

 _..._

 ** _Authors Notes:_**

 ** _(1) This is my first time posting the authors notes at the bottom of the chapter so what I would like to say is; I hope that you all enjoyed the story! Do remember to favorite this work or place in on alert if you really took pleasure in my writings._**

 ** _(2) If you have any questions regarding the story, feel free to post a review and I will try my very best to answer them with ease._**

 ** _I sadly do not own the Naruto franchise at all. If I did Naruto would be much more smarter and darker in terms of his character. Also, he would have fallen for Hinata as soon as he found out that she truly loves him with all her heart._**

 ** _'till next time._**

 ** _Tschüss!_**


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